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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23607769">Duality's Past</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family Fluff, Gemsong, Homeworld Hierarchy (Steven Universe), Minor Character Death, Post-Movie, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Skirting the Line Between Loving Brother and Angsty Teen, Steven Universe Future Spoilers, Steven Universe is Pink Diamond, Therapy, Time Travel, Trying to Help but Also Being Afraid to Change the Future, big brother vibes, heavily inspired by time travel au, i just want my boys to be happy, it's another time travel au, lightly inspired by su au gone wrong, post-suf, steven is a fusion, yes - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:21:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>27,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23607769</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"We're finally free.  Welcome home.  It's just you and me now, standing alone.  The world is ours-"<br/>"No, it isn't."<br/>"Get in the car."<br/>"This isn't finished."<br/>"What?"<br/>Everyone made mistakes.  It was something Steven's therapist stressed to him time and again, but he had always had difficulty grasping the idea that other people could screw up as badly as he could.  Of course, just when he's beginning to accept this, when he's finally reached his Happily Ever After, someone has to come in and destroy it all.</p><p>An AU in which Future happened before the movie, and Spinel destroys things in ways that she didn't in canon.  The Crystal Gems are gone, half of Steven feels as if he's betrayed Connie, the other half is missing an arm, and the Earth is doomed.  What better way to fix things than to go back and prevent Spinel from stealing his Happily Ever After?<br/>In the words of Mr. Universe, it's a one way ticket, and he's ready to ride.<br/>Credit for the Time Travel AU goes to sutimetravelau on Tumblr!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Crystal Gems &amp; Steven Universe, Steven &amp; Older Steven</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>276</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Swamped</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Steven arrived in the past only a few days ago, and he's trying his best to adjust.  Nightmares and the sheer disparity between the gems he had in his time and their past selves are giving his mental stability a run for its money, but he's hanging in there.  He's here now, and there's no going back.  He's determined to make a change, one step at a time.</p><p>Chapter title comes from Swamped by Lacuna Coil.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steven felt like he was suffocating. That wasn’t a normal sensation for him. He required less oxygen than the average human did, his body being made up of both organic cells and hard light. It wasn’t often he felt like this. Still, he couldn’t breathe, and he <em>did</em> need air. </p><p>She stood across from him. Shards of gemstones littered the grass near his feet, and the glare off of the injector would have blinded him if he weren’t so used to White’s refraction. He couldn’t look down. He couldn’t look to see what had become of them. He knew she was laughing, could feel her twisted satisfaction and agony, and if she weren’t dead set on destroying everything he held dear, he might still have felt inclined to pity her. As it was, he felt nothing. </p><p>Then, she was gone, and the ground was a pulsating sickly magenta color. Grass was dying, people were crying, the world was in chaos. She tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. </p><p>Pink dust on his hands, washed away by his horrified tears as Peridot told him the only way to reverse the damage had just been reduced to fractals in the dirt. Connie had been right. She always was. Watching the Earth disappear as he and the gems of Earth fled to Homeworld with whatever humans they could grab in time. They would find a new planet for them to live on, Blue assured him. He didn’t want a new planet. He wanted his planet back. </p><p>He was talking to the Cabochon Sapphire, listening intently as she explained how the item in his hands was used. </p><p>“There is no reversing this,” she warned him. “If you choose to go, there’s no coming back.”</p><p>“Good,” he replied, but his voice wasn’t his own. He grabbed it, thanked her, and went to hide where they wouldn’t find him. It was weird, grabbing things with an appendage made of light, uncomfortable, so for now he used his left hand to carry the sundial. </p><p>Flashing light, she begged him not to go, but she still had her parents, she didn’t understand. He would miss her dearly, but there was almost nothing left for him there. Their argument still played on repeat in the back of his mind. He still recalled the fear in those beautiful brown eyes. He was gone, he wasn’t the same person she knew. </p><p> </p><p>Gasping, Steven shot bolt upright in his bed. It took him a minute to get his bearings. The pink clouds and soft sound of the ocean told him he was in his mom’s room—no, his room. He was in the temple. The events of the past few days came back to him slowly as he panted in bed. </p><p>Spinel. Losing the Gems. Losing his arm, unfusing and refusing. The biopoison. His argument with Connie, thinking his human half was dead. Avenging his mother figures. The Diamonds removing him and his people from his dying colony. Watching the Earth all but crumble under the weight of the toxins. That Sapphire, who foresaw him corrupting again, and not being able to return in the wake of his loss. </p><p>The Viridian Sundial. Coming back to the past. </p><p>A new timeline. </p><p>He looked over at his clock. It was definitely time to get up. </p><p>He forced himself out of the cushy bed and rolled his shoulders, digging through the closet to pull out his form outfit. He hadn’t realized until he didn’t have access to regular clothes that wearing anything other than his usual outfit made him... anxious. Bismuth had suggested that it might be a result of his gem half. Gems have one ‘outfit’ they wear at all times. It made some sense that his gem would desire the same.</p><p>He hesitated before leaving the room. The Gems were taking his whole time travel adventure better than he had expected. Maybe they were just glad there was only one of him, and not hundreds all fighting amongst himself(ves?). </p><p>It wasn’t hard to prove his identity to the Gems. He had pulled Pearl aside and showed her his newly flipped gem (thanks, Spinel. I hate it.) and she instantly knew that he was who he said he was. He told Amethyst about her Kindergarten hole and how she emerged alone, and there was no doubting his sincerity. Garnet... somehow just knew. Future vision, Steven guessed. He was glad that no one pressed him for details as to why he was there. Maybe they knew the look in his eye well enough not to push it. </p><p>The younger version of him was beyond confused at first, not to mention a little wary. He did just watch himself die due to timeline shenanigans, after all. It didn’t take long for him to warm up to Older Steven, though, when he realized that he wasn’t there due to the time thingy, and didn’t want to fight him. </p><p>Still, things were weird. Everyone had lost so much progress that Steven had taken for granite (Bismuth would have loved that). He didn’t know how to deal. He was just coming to terms with the fact that he didn’t have to fix everyone to be useful, and now he had to revert, too? His therapist would be having a field day with all this new trauma he was undergoing.</p><p>On the bright side, they were alive, and that’s all that he needed at the moment. </p><p>“Twoie!” He glanced up when he heard the younger version of himself call out. He smiled a little at the silly name. It wasn’t the best, but it came from the kid who had dubbed the corrupted Turquoise lurking in Amethyst’s room ‘The Slinker,’ whose mother had dubbed Pyrite ‘Fool’s Gold.’ Names weren’t any of their strong points. </p><p>“G’mornin’, Steven,” he greeted the kid, sliding into the barstool beside the boy. “How’d you sleep?”</p><p>“Pretty well,” Steven replied, taking another bite out of his cereal. “How ‘bout you?”</p><p>“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Twoie gently chastised the child before biting his lip. “I had some... weird dreams, but it wasn’t a big deal. I slept okay.”</p><p>“Do you wanna talk about it?” Steven asked, and Twoie chuckled, shaking his head. </p><p>“Nah, I don’t even really remember what it was about,” he lied smoothly. “Besides, we have a—“</p><p>“Gems, we have a mission!” Garnet called, emerging from her room. </p><p> </p><p>Twoie recalled this fight pretty well. He winced when Larimar’s arm came clean off, rubbing his own hard-light appendage through the soft fabric of his varsity jacket. </p><p>Garnet jumped up and punched it hard between the eyes, causing the ice shell around the corrupted gemstone to crumble around it. Pearl leapt in to bubble the gem and send it off. </p><p>“Now there’s nothing standing between us and the Shooting Star,” she reported. Amethyst stared up at the ice falling from the ceiling. </p><p>“This job is really dangerous,” she fretted, gasping when the ice began to land around her. Twoie rushed over to her, knowing what would happen. He summoned a shield large enough to protect both of them from the falling ice stalactites, not even straining as they were buried. Even though Amethyst would be okay, he didn’t want her to be buried for longer than she had to be. She got claustrophobic sometimes. He understood. So did he. </p><p>“Amethyst! Twoie!” they heard Steven call from outside the layer of ice and rock. “Don’t worry! I’ll get you out!”</p><p>“No, just get out of here before you get hurt!” Twoie called back, almost certain Steven couldn’t really hear them. </p><p>He heard Pearl’s muffled yell, then faintly, Garnet’s smooth song, just before the strange sound Twoie had come to associate with bubbling. Oh, fuck. It was this mission, wasn’t it?</p><p>“Shit,” Twoie swore, but then forced himself to relax. Steven would be fine, he was fine when he let Nephrite out the first time. They would become friends, and everything would be alright. Right?</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, if things go the way they went in my timeline, Steven popped the bubble holding a Nephrite and she reformed,” Twoie explained, brushing the snow from his jacket and following the gems as they rushed into the Burning Room. “And—“</p><p>“Steven!” Pearl shouted, her hand hovering near her gem and eyes filled with concern. “Get away from that thing!” Twoie winced. Nephrite might have technically been an enemy gem back in the day, but she wasn’t a thing. She was one of Pink’s gems, just following orders. </p><p>Garnet jumped down into her room and landed between Steven and his new friend, Pearl following close behind. Twoie groaned and floated down to help Steven up. Garnet had knocked the poor kid on his butt trying to defend him. </p><p>“This was a terrible idea!” Pearl exclaimed, frantically checking Steven over for injuries. “And he even managed to pop a bubble and let out that awful—“</p><p>“Pearl,” Twoie interjected, and she froze, clearly considering her words. She sighed and shook her head. </p><p>“If it hurt you, I swear that I’ll—“</p><p>“No, it didn’t do anything!” Steven defended, and Twoie couldn’t help the soft smile that spread on his face. He stood and rushed in front of Garnet, holding his hands out to the side (<em>t-pose to assert dominance</em>, Twoie thought with a soft chuckle). “Garnet! Don’t hurt it! I accidentally let it out of its bubble, but... it didn’t even try to hurt me. It’s not like the other monsters.” Twoie’s smile fell into a sad grimace. “It’s just scared and confused.” </p><p>He looked up at Garnet, his soul bared and his eyes pleading desperately. “Please, Garnet. I’m begging you...” Garnet took a deep breath, and Twoie knew she was consulting her Future Vision. After a while, she sighed. </p><p>“I can’t say no to that face.”</p><p>“Excuse me? You can’t be serious!” Pearl protested, but Twoie gently rested his left hand on her shoulder. </p><p>“He’ll be okay,” he assured her. </p><p>“I think you should try and tame it, Steven,” Garnet said with a smile, all but ignoring Pearl’s complaints. Steven rushed up and hugged Garnet’s leg. </p><p>“Garnet... thank you so much,” he said softly. Pearl hummed her disapproval, and Amethyst laughed uproariously. </p><p>“Shut down by the G-Squad!” she jeered, and Pearl rolled her eyes.</p><p>“Well, let’s at least take some precautions.”</p><p> </p><p>Twoie frowned as they dug around and pulled out the chains to tie Nephrite up to a rock outside. Just because she was corrupted didn’t mean she didn’t deserve respect. She looked beyond stressed, trussed up as she was. </p><p>“Alright, Steven, let’s see if you can calm it down,” Garnet said, standing at the ready with her gauntlets summoned. The other two gems waited just behind her, their own weapons out and ready. </p><p>“Um... it still seems a little scared,” Steven remarked uneasily. Nephrite writhed in her bonds, one of the chains snapping thanks to the acid leaking from her mouth. The fluid that once was used to test for the strength of soil compounds was now being drooled out like slobber from a scared puppy’s mouth, and it broke Twoie’s heart. </p><p>“Maybe you guys could put your weapons away and watch from the house?” Steven requested, his tone exasperated, and Twoie nodded. </p><p>“Definitely,” he agreed. “We should let these two have some space.”</p><p>“Absolutely not!” Pearl protested. </p><p>“Steven can handle this,” Garnet assured her, her gauntlets turning back into light and fading into her gems. </p><p>“Garnet...” Pearl knew the leader of the team wouldn’t hear any more about it, but still tried to convince her that leaving Steven alone with a corrupted gem creature was a bad idea. </p><p>“Pearl,” Garnet replied, and Pearl followed behind her, dutifully ignoring Amethyst’s teasing. </p><p>“You got this, kiddo,” Twoie assured his young self. “Just be yourself.”</p><p>“I will,” Steven confirmed. </p><p> </p><p>It had only been about ten minutes since Twoie and the other gems had retreated to the house. Twoie had mostly tuned out their conversation in favor of messing with his phone. He had found a cool app, SpyCalc, that would let him keep some of the precious pictures from Homeworld and the future without anyone ever finding them. </p><p>It had three layers of defense. The first was that it was disguised as a calculator. The second, if someone pressed the right sequence of numbers, was that it would take you to another lock screen. There were two passwords, though. One was his phone’s PIN (an obvious code that the Gems would definitely try first) that had several of his regular pictures, memes, and selfies in it. It was a red herring. The real secret pictures were behind an even more secret passcode, 7465: PINK. </p><p>He should be safe. At least, he hoped he would be. </p><p>“Garnet! Pearl, Amethyst, Twoie!” Steven called out, bounding up the stairs to the beach house with Nephrite in tow. </p><p>“Whoa, why isn’t that thing on its rock?” Pearl demanded, immediately nervous to see Steven so close to her. </p><p>“I trained her up, look!” He folded his arms and flapped them like a bird, making a squawking sound. Nephrite shot acid across the room, burning up a wooden beam. Twoie sighed. That would be annoying to clean up. Steven continued to squawk until a shot of acid hit Amethyst’s sandwich, and she teared up. </p><p>“No! Mi torta!” she cried, falling to her knees beside her now inedible (even for her) sandwich. </p><p>“Steven, this is unacceptable!” Pearl snapped, and Twoie stood, slowly approaching Steven and Nephrite and looking over at Pearl. </p><p>“Okay, hang on,” he said, already in mediator mode. “Steven, you shouldn’t have her shooting her Aqua Regia around the house, but Pearl, you’ve got to admit it’s impressive he’s gotten her this far.”</p><p>“Yeah, come on, Pearl,” Steven agreed, letting Nephrite eat chips out of his hand. “She can help us on, like, missions and stuff.”</p><p>“Oh, no! Out of the question!” Pearl argued. Steven sighed. “Well, we can’t return to the ice cavern now, we have to stay here and deal with Steven and his... situation.”</p><p>“She doesn’t mean it like that,” Twoie said softly to Steven, who looked at the ground, embarrassed and ashamed. The boy looked up at him. “She’s just stressed. She doesn’t mean they have to ‘deal with you’ as if you’re something that they have to put up with.”</p><p>“Oh,” Steven replied quietly. </p><p>“Well, I dunno how we’re gonna get through all those ice boulders without causing a cave-in, anyway,” Amethyst said, her attention turning from the molten remains of her sandwich. </p><p>“Hmm...” Garnet looked over at Steven and Nephrite, and Twoie could almost see the realization dawning on her. “That’s how.”</p><p> </p><p>“I just don’t know if this will work!” Pearl explained, then flinched when Steven squawked. Twoie held his shield above them all, crowded in a tight ball around him in the enclosed space. Where Amethyst was kinda uncomfortable with tight spaces, he was beyond claustrophobic. This kind of thing reminded him of being trapped in space with Eyeball, of being in the Solitude Tower, of Peridot’s escape pod, at the bottom of the ocean in a bubble, in White’s head as she—</p><p>“Twoie? Are you alright?” Pearl’s voice startled him out of his spiraling thoughts, and he put a smile on his face. </p><p>“Sorry, lost in thought.” Nephrite had melted a hole in the ice before them. “Let’s move.”</p><p> </p><p>There were a few instances where Twoie had to reel Steven in. If Pearl wasn’t hard light given mass by magic and densely-packed photons, she would have been down an arm (just like me). He was glad to see the kid enjoying himself, though, and Nephrite seemed to enjoy the company, even if her mind was addled beyond comprehension. </p><p>Twoie paused when they came across a human skeleton. </p><p>“Stop,” he ordered, remembering what happened. Nephrite stopped instantly. Twoie had to wonder if it was instinctual, for a gem to obey their Diamond. Even in this feral state, the Nephrite had never once gone against his orders. It was strange. He would have to do some research, when he got the chance.</p><p>He stepped around the gems, who were clustered around the entrance to the little room, and used his gravity powers to make his foot immensely heavy as he stepped to the side. A shallow hole was formed, the snow forming a mound around it. He gently lifted the bones and set them in the hole, covering them quickly, before turning back to the others. </p><p>“I didn’t want to be disrespectful,” he explained bashfully, and Nephrite charged on ahead through the hole the skeleton had been sitting in front of. Garnet and Twoie had the most trouble forcing their way through the narrow crack, Garnet with her wide hips and Twoie with his broader build. When they made it through, though, they all took a moment to marvel at the beautiful scenery of the crystal cavern. </p><p>“There it is!” Pearl pointed out, approaching the shallow well. “The shooting star! An ancient elemental so hot and so volatile, it can only be contained in ice! Bare skin cannot endure its intensity!”</p><p>Twoie raised a brow. Gems didn’t have skin. Maybe it reacted with the photons in their forms? It was a possibility. </p><p>“What do you do with a shooting star?” Steven asked. </p><p>“Eh, you shoot it,” Amethyst responded. </p><p>“You contain it,” Twoie informed him. “It’s an explosive, ten times more powerful than astrolite, so you want it out of the way of anything that could function as a catalyst. It’s the kinda thing that you’ll wanna be half-way across the planet when you engage it.”</p><p>“Garnet, you’ll need to use your gauntlets so as not to hurt your hands.” </p><p>So it probably did destabilize photons, Twoie assumed. Wordlessly, the fusion summoned her gauntlets and slowly reached down. As soon as the metal came over her hands, though, Nephrite began to panic. </p><p>“No!” Steven gasped, trying to calm her. “No, no, not now!”</p><p>“Something’s wrong,” Garnet stated, standing up and facing her charge. At her attention, Nephrite’s panic increased tenfold, and she began to spray acid in all directions. Twoie quickly bubbled himself and reached across to form a bubble around each of the gems. He tried to reach Steven, but even this much was wearing on him. Cabochon Sapphire had warned him time travel would be draining on his powers, but he hadn’t expected it to be this severe. </p><p>“Steven!” Pearl exclaimed, and Twoie let the bubbles down for an instant to catch his breath. An instant was all she needed to jump out of range and pull her spear from her gem. “I knew this would happen!” She rushed Nephrite, whacking her with the blunt end of the spear and knocking her into the wall. A crack formed where Nephrite fell, and it spread to the ceiling. A large stalactite came loose, and Twoie felt his heart drop. He definitely remembered this. </p><p>“Pearl, stop! It was an accident!” Steven explained, trying to help the green gem up but tugging her silver hair in the process. She hissed, and Steven let go immediately. “Ah, sorry for pulling!”</p><p>“Steven!” Garnet called, punting the little corrupted gem out of his vicinity. </p><p>“No!” Steven cried, tears forming in his eyes as Nephrite struggled to stand. </p><p>“Steven, hang in there,” Twoie said, rushing over to the kid. He picked him up and pulled him out of the way as the gems fought Nephrite. Steven easily wiggled his way out of his grip and rushed back to the centipeedle. </p><p>“Stop! You don’t need to fight!” Nephrite hissed and snarled, terrified, and Twoie rushed after his past self to where the gems were sitting. Pearl tried to get up, but Twoie shook his head silently. “This isn’t you!”</p><p>He was crying. Twoie recalled how much this had hurt him when he was little. Nephrite was his friend, and she was terrified. He could feel it then, and he felt it now. “You’re not a monster anymore! You’re more than that!” He took a slow step forward, faltering for a second when Nephrite took a step back, but he continued advancing. “We have so many memories now. Remember the chip times?” He was gaining confidence with each step, just as Nephrite was losing hers. “And when you saved me from that vicious seagull? And how we became best friends?” Nephrite stopped, and Steven wrapped his arms around her, hugging her gently and crying into her fur. </p><p>“You have to remember! This all happened today!” Twoie’s heart skipped a beat. Steven’s eyes were... diamonds. He was unconsciously using his Diamond powers on Nephrite. He had no idea he had done that... he thought that it was pure dumb luck that had gotten Nephrite to calm down. It turns out his magic was protecting him even then.</p><p>The acidic saliva dripped down his jacket, seeping in and burning his flesh, and Twoie grimaced at the sizzling sound of melting nylon and cotton. Soon, though, Nephrite calmed down, and Steven’s sobs ebbed. </p><p>Everything was calm for just a moment, until a cracking sound reminded them all of the instability of the chamber. Steven looked up to see the giant stalactite above him breaking off and falling. He cried out in terror, but a pressure shoved him hard, and he was out of the line of fire. He knew without looking who it was. </p><p>“No!” Garnet caught him, and he watched as the large sharp rock slammed Nephrite into the snow and rock below. She cried out in agony for a few seconds until finally, her form dissipated. Twoie had to look away. Poofing corrupted gems… that never got easier. </p><p>He heard the poofing sound, and the clinking of her gem rolling across the floor to rest at Steven’s feet. He gently picked her up and cradled her in his hands, the tears falling once more. </p><p>“You saved me,” he whispered. Twoie made his way over and pulled Steven into a hug from behind, running a hand through his hair. </p><p>“Steven, you did a good job training the centipeetle,” Garnet assured him, resting her hands on his shoulders from over Twoie’s head. “Your mother would be so proud.” Twoie’s grip tightened just a touch at the mention of his mother. He was still furious with her. It was her fault that Spinel had...</p><p>“She would?” Steven asked, and the vulnerability in Steven’s voice broke Twoie’s heart. </p><p>“The truth is, Rose Quartz had tried to use her powers to save these monsters, too,” Garnet explained. “But she was never able to heal them.”</p><p>“Never?” Steven asked, his voice cracking. Twoie squeezed him a little tighter when the diamonds reappeared in his eyes, uneasy. “But if she wasn’t able to do it...”</p><p>“If I might say something,” Twoie spoke softly. “Steven, I can’t tell you much, you know that. But I want you to know this. In my time, we save them. All of them. We don’t have everything we need, yet. The pieces are still scattered and unorganized. But we will save her, I promise.”</p><p>“I’ll keep her safe,” Steven said with a soft smile, encouraged by his older self’s words. Then, in that moment of hope, a bubble formed around the gemstone. Steven looked up at Twoie, confused, but the teen just shook his head. </p><p>“No, that was all you,” he said proudly. Steven smiled a little more, standing up, the bubble hovering over his hands. </p><p>“Steven! You can bubble gems!” Pearl enthused, and Twoie chuckled. If only she knew just how much he was capable of. </p><p>“Wow...” Steven breathed, staring at his pink bubble. Twoie took a good look at it. After having seen Rose Quartz bubbles... he wonders how his mother managed to fool everyone for so long. The color was so much more vibrant, so much brighter than any Rose Quartz he had ever seen. Maybe... they thought she was off-colored? Maybe... “Wait for me, Centipeetle. I promise I’ll heal you up, someday.” He gently pressed the top, sending it off to the Burning Room. “Oh, w-wait!” Twoie smiled fondly when he pulled the bag of Chaaaaps out and bubbled it, too, sending it off with the corrupted gem. He ruffled his hair and laughed. The kid was a good person. If Twoie had any say in it, he wouldn’t have to grow up too fast. He wouldn’t end up like him. </p><p>Right then and there, he promised himself once more that this Steven would live Happily Ever After.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Change</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Amethyst's gem is cracked.  Twoie knows he should try to avoid changing things too much, but he can't stand to see either Amethyst or Steven suffer.  He finds a compromise between leaving things to happen and taking care of it himself.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter takes place during "An Indirect Kiss."  Twoie interferes, but things don't fall apart like he half expects them to.  Please let me know if there's anything you think I can do to improve my writing or the story in general!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Twoie stretched out in the sand, his shirt raised just enough that his gem had access to the sunlight.  He had definitely needed time to recharge.  He was on his own for the time being.  While Twoie generally liked to spend time on his own, considering how little of it he usually got, he was really enjoying the company of his younger self and the gems, lately.  He got to screw around and do as he pleased, as if there wasn’t an enormous threat looming just four short years in the future.  There was nothing they could do about <em>her</em> now, though.  It was best to let it be.</p><p>That frame of mind did nothing to stop the nightmares, but in his experience, if he wasn’t facing down a massive pink injector and a plasma-bladed rejuvenator, he was seeing White and her deadly nails, Jasper’s shards scattered in the mud and in his hands, Cactus Steven, Lars, lifeless and bloody—</p><p>That train of thought was best left abandoned.  Twoie forced himself to think about something else.</p><p>It was times like these that he really missed his Connie.  He loved to spend his recharging time with her.  It was always refreshing.  She had always helped him to quell the fervor of his racing thoughts.  He wished she were there with him now, although she’d likely be disinclined to help him after their fight.</p><p>He didn’t blame her for that.  He wouldn’t have forgiven him, either.</p><p><em>He still hadn’t</em>.</p><p>He was thinking too hard about things that he didn’t need to worry about.  He was trying to relax on the beach, not lose himself to self-deprecating thoughts.  He needed a distraction.</p><p>Twoie froze when he heard the unmistakable sound of a gemstone slamming into rock.  He turned his head to see Amethyst, lying face-down against a jutting boulder on the beach, and sighed.  Ask and you shall receive, apparently.  </p><p>It was hard for him to remember exactly what day these things happened on.  It had been so long ago, after all.  He didn’t want to see someone he cared about with a crack across her facets, but at the same time, he was even less inclined to leave her be while injured.  The crack wasn’t terrible, but if he recalled correctly, it was exacerbated several times over the course of the day.</p><p>“Amethyst?” he called out, standing and hurrying over to her.  He smiled a little when he saw Steven huffing and puffing his way over to the quartz.  He made a mental reminder to start taking the kid on his morning jogs.  It would help him later on, when he started training with Pearl and Connie.</p><p>“Are… you sure you’re okay?” Steven managed to pant out as he fell into the sand.  Twoie took a knee and placed a hand on the kid’s heaving back, rubbing it soothingly.</p><p>“Deep breaths, buddy,” he murmured.</p><p>“Yes, Steven,” Amethyst answered, a fond smile on her face.  “Guys, I’m fine.  Except for this!”  She pulled her bangs back to reveal a comically large googly eye, and Twoie had to force back a wince.  </p><p>“You shouldn’t make light of a crack like that,” he said to her, and she just shrugged.</p><p>“It’s not a crack, you’re overreacting,” she insisted.  “Just a hairline fracture, if even that.”  Twoie raised a brow, unimpressed.</p><p>“Amethyst!” Pearl called out, concerned, as she and Garnet rushed over.  “Show me your gem.”  She reached to pull the smaller gem’s shirt away from her gem, but Amethyst smirked and smacked her hand away.</p><p>“Fresh!” Amethyst sang.  Garnet caught her hand before it could go back to guarding her damaged gem and reached over to tug the cloth away from the source of her being.  Amethyst turned away, her face flushed.  Twoie sighed.  The crack was just as he had recalled it, about an inch and a half long and an eighth of an inch thick.</p><p>“Amethyst!” Pearl gasped, clutching her own chest.  “Your gem is cracked!”</p><p>“Rude!” Amethyst snapped, her song glitching, tugging her shirt back over the fractured stone.  “I-I-It’s not a big deal!  Plus, now I have this cool googly eye!”  Steven chuckled, but Twoie had to close his eyes.  This whole situation was bringing up bad memories.</p><p>“How did this happen?” Pearl asked the two hybrids, wide eyes darting between them.</p><p>“She fell off the cliff by the lighthouse,” Steven replied.</p><p>“Did not,” Amethyst retorted.</p><p>“Of course, how could I have been so blind?” Pearl sighed, running a hand through her hair.  Twoie mirrored the action unconsciously, trying to decide what to do.  His first instinct was to heal Amethyst’s gem himself, but that wouldn’t give Steven the opportunity to try.  At the same time, Steven would be devastated when he realized his tears weren’t meant for healing fractures, and he wouldn’t realize that the fluid from his eyes were for a different type of healing for a long while.  It was a difficult decision, honestly.  “We need to put a fence up there so this will never happen again.”</p><p>“So what’s the problem?” Steven asked.  “Amethyst falls on stuff all the time.”</p><p>“It’d be fine if it was just her body,” Pearl explained patiently.  “But her gem is damaged.”</p><p>“So what do you do to fix it?” Steven pressed.</p><p>“Before… we had Rose,” Pearl responded softly, looking away, and Twoie took a couple deep breaths.  He really didn’t like the phrasing of that, even if he knew she didn’t mean it in the way it sounded.</p><p>“Steven,” Garnet spoke up, walking around Pearl to kneel beside the child. “Your mother had healing tears that flowed from her gem.  She felt real love for those around her, and she felt real sorrow when they were hurt.”  Twoie bit his lip.  Yeah, she did feel real sorrow for those who were important enough to her to earn it.  Others got no such luxury.  Others were forced to wait in a garden for her for six thousand years when she never intended to return.</p><p>It was unfair of him to think these things, but the fact stood that before Pink had really become Rose, she had been the product of a terrible regime, and she had embodied that same awful entitlement that her only role models had.  She had become a better gem eventually, but it was hard to ignore her transgressions.</p><p>Garnet rested a hand on Steven’s shoulder.  “You have the Rose Quartz gem, now.  You and Twoie.”  Twoie nodded.  He had made up his mind.  He knew what he wanted to do.  The child’s eyes turned to him, wide and hopeful.</p><p>“That power is in us, now,” Twoie revealed.  “It’s not exactly the same anymore, but we have the ability to heal damage to both gems and organic matter.”</p><p>“What’s changed about it?” Pearl asked, and Twoie flushed.</p><p>“Ah, you’re not gonna like it,” he warned her.  “My—our—bodies produce the enzyme needed to heal within the salivary glands.”</p><p>“Wait… what?”</p><p>“I guess the most important thing to note now is that the fluid—shards, that sounds gross just saying it—the fluid we use to repair damaged gems is our spit.”  Everyone was quiet for a few moments.</p><p>“So he’s gotta spit on my gem to heal it?” Amethyst summed up, and Twoie nodded.</p><p>“I mean, I usually use kisses, but Steven, you’ll probably need more than I do because you’re newer to this,” he instructed.  “I generally lick my hand and touch the injury when kissing’s off the table for whatever reason.”</p><p>“We can literally kiss it better?” Steven asked, and Twoie couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped him.</p><p>“Yup,” he replied.  “Wanna give it a try?  I know you can do it.”  Steven squared his shoulders and nodded.</p><p>“Amethyst, show me your gem!” he ordered, and Amethyst raised her eyebrows but shrugged.</p><p>“Yeah, alright,” she acquiesced, tugging her shirt out of the way.  Steven licked his hand and pressed his spit into the crack, looking away.  It took a few moments, but after a short wait, Amethyst’s gem began to glow, and the crack repaired itself.</p><p>“I… I did it!” Steven cheered, shocked that he had actually managed to repair the damage done to Amethyst.  Amethyst rolled her eyes with a smile and scooped the kid up to give him a noogie.</p><p>“Of course, you did,” she replied.  “You’re Steven!  How did you even find out you heal with your spit, anyway?”  The question caught Twoie off guard.</p><p>“Huh?”  He looked up to see he had everyone’s attention again.  “Oh, uh… it’s not a fun story.  Basically, you were cracked, Amethyst, but when I tried to cry and heal you, it didn’t work.  We had to bring you to Mom’s fountain and fix it up so we could heal you.  I only realized my spit had healing properties when I shared my juice with… Connie… and her eyes were healed.”</p><p>“Wait, but she said that her eyes were bad because of genetics,” Steven pointed out.</p><p>“That’s why it was so shocking that it worked,” Twoie replied.  “I had managed to heal a hereditary flaw with my saliva.  It was wild, honestly.”</p><p>“Well, I’m glad you know you can heal, now,” Amethyst said with a smile.  “You saved us a trip and me a crack.”</p><p>“I mean… we really should still go to the fountain,” Twoie pointed out.  “It’s currently in a state of disrepair, and we need it working properly.  It’ll be really important later on down the line.”</p><p>“When you say ‘disrepair,’ how disorderly is the condition?” Pearl asked, and Twoie shook his head.</p><p>“Vines everywhere, it’s overgrown, the water isn’t flowing, and it’s dark as ᚠᚢᛍᚴ.”</p><p>“Twoie!” Pearl scolded.  “Language!”</p><p>“Sorry, Pearl,” Twoie apologized.  “It’s dark as fu—”</p><p>“<em>Anyway</em>!” Pearl interjected, frowning at the young man.  “If it’s as bad as you say it is, I’m going to have to agree with you.  This is a part of Rose’s legacy, we can’t have it falling into ruin.”</p><p>“Road trip!” Amethyst cheered, smacking Twoie on the back.  Twoie smiled.  He had been so concerned about the impact he would have on the timeline.  There were so many things he wanted to fix, things that could have gone so much better in his time, but he had no idea if it would make the universe fall apart at the seams or something.  This helped a little.  He had made a change, but the universe was fine.  It was okay.  Maybe it would be okay to change a few things, after all.  Caution was his best friend, of course, but he could make it better.</p><p> </p><p>“And in the center of the garden:  Rose’s Fountain!” Pearl described as the warp stream dissipated.  “Overflowing with your mother’s healing lacrimal essence!”  It was weird to hear Pearl gushing about his mother, again.  He shrugged off the discomfort.  She would move on in time, it would just take a while.</p><p>“I don’t see it,” Garnet stated, and Pearl blinked, looking around.  She gasped, staring at the mass of vines and thorns surrounding the area Twoie recalled the fountain being in.</p><p>“Now, now, let’s keep it together!” Pearl said.  “Our memories of Rose can’t be tainted by some overgrown brambles!”  She stared down at the vines, grasping Garnet’s arm nervously.  “Look at them.  They’re a mess without her guidance.  Directionless, pathetic, clinging things.  It’s going to be okay, Garnet!”</p><p>“Sure,” Garnet shrugged.</p><p>“Y-y-you really think so?” Pearl questioned, her voice a quiet trill that Twoie had come to associate with extreme distress.</p><p>“Pearl, it’s gonna be fine,” Twoie insisted.  He could feel the anxiety coming off of her in waves.  “I know how to deal with this.”</p><p>The wild foliage helped him relax.  It reminded him of the forest, of recklessly, happily throwing hands with Jasper, of the time before he lost control.  It helped him remember that he had control now, and that he knew he could prevent the same things from happening.  Of course, Pearl vehemently disagreed with the sentiment he had toward the overgrown feature.</p><p>“Sooooo… why did crying not work on Amethyst’s gem?” Steven asked.</p><p>“I just couldn’t cry, at first,” Twoie admitted.  “I wasn’t particularly sad, since I didn’t realize how dangerous a cracked gem could be.  I found Amethyst’s wacky form changes funny at the time.”</p><p>“I guess we’re just too tough to cry,” Steven noted with a resolute nod.</p><p>“Just today you were crying about snakes,” Pearl deadpanned.</p><p>“<em>They don’t have any arms,</em>” Steven said softly, and Twoie snickered, patting his younger self on the head.</p><p>“Never change, Steven,” he said.  “But anyway, I eventually did cry when Amethyst and I were waiting at the fountain for Garnet and Pearl to fix it.  There are several statues of Mom around the fountain, and I sat in one of their laps, and I talked to Amethyst about how I didn’t know how to feel about her.  It was something I struggled with a lot, when I was younger.”  He took a moment to regulate his breathing before he went on.  “I couldn’t feel sad that she was gone, because I had never known her.  Not long after, Amethyst and I were attacked by the vines, and her crack got way worse.”  He looked over at Amethyst, internally assuring himself that she really was okay.  “I cried because I thought you were going to shatter.  I cried on your gem… but nothing happened.”  He looked over at Pearl and Garnet.  “Luckily, you two got the fountain working in time, and she healed up okay, but… I felt like a failure.”</p><p>“So our tears really don’t heal, after all?” Steven asked.  Twoie hummed, tugging on the hem of his jacket nervously.  This was another gray area.  How much could he get away with telling Steven and the gems?  Maybe he could give them a little information without spilling it all.</p><p>“I didn’t develop the power to heal with tears until I got full control over healing with my spit,” Twoie explained, thinking of Lars, then of Jasper.  “Our tears don’t have the same kind of healing ability as our spit does, it works differently.  I don’t think I should say much about that, though.”</p><p>“Oh, okay,” Steven relented.</p><p>The vines trembled, and Twoie sighed, taking a deep breath.</p><p>“We should get a move on.  They’re going to get hostile around Steven and me, because of our gem,” Twoie explained to the other gems, who watched on nervously.  “They can sense our resonance.  They need the d-quartz essence, so they’re actively seeking it out, now that it’s within their range of movement.”  Luckily, no one seemed to pick up on his near slip.  “Gimme a sec.”  He licked his hand, just as Steven had done in order to cure Amethyst, and gently petted the nearest bramble branches with his wet palm.  A pink light shone wherever he touched and spread along the vine, and before their eyes, the dark green thorns flowered and turned into beautiful pink camellias.  </p><p>Twoie groaned when he saw how many more vines there still were.  He had hoped his magic would spread further than it had, but it seemed his powers were still recovering from the time jump.  The last time, it took the Diamond Essence overflowing to get the brambles to bloom.  He didn’t have enough spit for that.  Of course, he could always use his tears or blood, but he highly doubted those would be well-received.</p><p>“Can you make us a path to the fountain?” Garnet asked, and Twoie nodded, quickly locating the boulder from his timeline and starting on the vines just in front of it.</p><p> </p><p>It was weird, seeing the fountain shrouded in darkness like it was.  It had been a bright, beautiful place for years in Twoie’s time.  He smiled, able to picture the other Diamonds and all the uncorrupted gems splashing around and celebrating in the basin.  Of course, it was empty now, and the sun was blocked by the overgrowth.  He turned to Garnet and Pearl.</p><p>“Okay, in my timeline, you guys went through that way,” he pointed to a gap in the foliage behind them, “and managed to get the fountain running again.  You had said something about unplugging a clogged chamber, but I don’t remember much about it.  I was with Amethyst, but I’m sure it’ll work out.”</p><p>“Right,” Pearl agreed, and she and Garnet made their way down the corridor of plants.  Twoie turned around.  Steven was staring openly at the enormous statue of Rose.  It was close to the size of the other Diamonds, and Twoie had to wonder if it had been intentional.  Blue had told him a few times that Pink had been self-conscious about being the littlest Diamond.  She stood at only sixteen feet tall as Pink, and half that height as Rose.  Considering the other Diamonds were each <em>several stories tall</em>, Twoie understood her annoyance with her form’s height.</p><p>“I think I know what you meant,” Steven pulled Twoie out of his thoughts.  He went to sit beside the child, who had his legs swung over the ledge of the fountain.  “I don’t know how to feel about her, but everybody else does.  I wish I could have met her… then I could have <em>some</em> sort of feelings about this place.  I want to know more about the person everyone wants me to be like.”</p><p>“Steven, listen to me,” Twoie counseled.  “You are <em>not</em> our mother.  Neither of us are.  We don’t have to be like her, either.  We…” he looked around.  Amethyst had wandered to the other side of the fountain, and Twoie smiled appreciatively.  She really was one of the most mature gems he had ever known, even now.  “We are made up of two halves.  One half is human, the other half is a gem.  No matter what anyone tells you, though, both of those halves are you.  You aren’t Mom.  She’s gone.  The only one in that gem is you.”</p><p>“But… it feels like they wish I was her, sometimes,” Steven mumbled, and Twoie looped an arm around him, pulling him into a side hug.</p><p>“I know,” he replied gently.  “They miss her, and they sometimes wonder what it would be like if she had never made the sacrifices she did.  That doesn’t mean they would go back, though.  They love you.  I can tell you without any uncertainty that they want <em>you</em>, and that they wouldn’t trade you for the world.  Mom isn’t coming back, and they’re coming to terms with it, but never <em>ever</em> let yourself think that they would rather she was here than you.”</p><p>“I’m scared of trying to live up to her image,” Steven confided.  “Everybody tells me about how amazing she was, how loving, how powerful and influential and important, and I just… how am I supposed to make her death worth it?”</p><p>“It’s already worth it,” Twoie insisted.  “The moment you were born, it was worth it.  Mom didn’t have us so that we could be just like her.  She had us because she wanted us to be a whole new person, unique and individual and human.”</p><p>Steven nodded slowly, absorbing his words, and Twoie leaned against the statue’s side.  Not too long after, they heard the sound of water rushing, and the tears began to flow from the fountain once more.  Twoie quickly scooped Steven up and jumped, pulling him out of the way of the rushing water.  From their floating vantage point, they watched the flowers bloom out of the foliage, just as they had when he had used his spit on them, and Garnet and Pearl made their way back to the fountain.</p><p>Twoie spared a glance back at the largest central statue as they all made their way back to the warp pad.  Finally, he turned and left with the others.</p><p> </p><p>The next day, Steven had all but begged Twoie to accompany him on his picnic with Connie.  He had told his friend about the future version of him, and she was excited to meet someone who came right out of a sci-fi dystopian future, although Twoie had asked Steven to tell her that he couldn’t say much about it, nor did he really want to relive some of the things he had dealt with.  Connie had agreed, so Twoie went along.</p><p>Connie stared at the older Steven in complete awe.  The young man kept his eyes on his hands.  Half of him was desperate to hug her, but the other half knew he shouldn’t get too close.  The last time he had let her get too invested, when she tried so hard to help him, it went wrong, and neither of them came out of it okay.  He could still hear her shouting at him from the door of the beach house.  He heard it twice, once as an echo from his half-lucid human body, and again as a ringing alarm piercing through the pink hot rage he felt throughout his light form.</p><p>This was a different Connie, though.  She was still young and innocent, untainted by the pains of war and knighthood.  He forced back his gem half’s protests and offered her an awkward smile.</p><p>“Hey,” he greeted her.  “I’m guessing Steven told you… who I am?”</p><p> </p><p>Connie had been so excited to meet him, and he wondered why he had even been nervous in the first place (the argument was still fresh in his mind, shouted accusations of <em>lies</em> and <em>fear</em> that just wouldn’t leave his thoughts alone, no matter how hard he tried to leave them in the future).  It was good that Steven had someone to talk to about his turbulent thoughts, though.</p><p>“So that’s why there’s a fence, now,” Steven concluded the story, and Connie hummed.</p><p>“But if everything turned out okay, what are you upset about?”</p><p>“I just… I used to worry all the time… like, what if I never got my mom’s powers?” Steven said, trying to subtly wipe a tear away.  “What if I was just… me?  Twoie helps a lot with that, but…”</p><p>“If you never got your powers, you would be like me,” Connie pointed out, and Twoie picked up on the hurt in her voice immediately.  “That’s not so bad.”</p><p>“She’s right, Steven,” he said.  “Yeah, we’re half gem, but we’re also half human.  Humans are amazing beings, constantly changing and evolving.  Sometimes, I envy the plasticity of humanity.”  Connie smiled up at him gratefully, and Steven shrugged.  “Gems don’t change easily.  We’re made a certain way, and it’s hard to go against our core programming.  It’s hard to deal with that, when you’re surrounded by people who are constantly in flux.”</p><p>He didn’t say it, but he couldn’t help but think about the nature of their particular gem type.  It was true that gems in general had trouble with change, but it was even more difficult for Diamonds.  They were naturally firm, unmoving, and stuck in their ways.  Diamonds didn’t change.  He reached his hand down to touch the inverted gemstone on his belly, the gem he couldn’t show to anyone but Pearl, for fear of changing the past too drastically.  He was trying to change.  He was trying <em>so hard</em> to adjust to the changes in his life.  Slowly, he was progressing with the help of his therapist and the other gems, but that support network had been ripped away from him when <em>she</em> showed up, and he didn’t know where to go anymore.</p><p>“Are… are you okay, Twoie?” Steven asked, and Twoie went to reassure the boy but stopped.  He knew better than to lie.  He couldn’t lie about how he felt, not anymore.  He had promised himself that he would be honest.  Steven would know better, anyway.  There was no point hiding his feelings from an empath, regardless of if his younger self knew he was or not.</p><p>“I’m struggling a little… to adjust, I mean,” he revealed.  “In the future, <em>so much</em> had happened.  So much had <em>changed</em>, and I was left behind, trying so hard to change with them.  We aren’t designed to change, Steven.  I had a lot of trouble with that in the future.  It got really bad, to the point where I was shutting people out, but I got help and I’ve been doing better.  But now that I’m in the past again, and I don’t have my gems who know what happened to me, or my therapist, or my Connie, or my La—my lieutenant, it’s been hard.  I’m not supposed to internalize these feelings, but I don’t really have anyone to talk to.”</p><p>“You can always talk to me,” Steven offered, and Twoie smiled, ruffling his curls.</p><p>“I want to, but there are so many things that could affect the progression of the timeline if I told you about them,” he explained.  “There are things I can’t tell anyone, things I don’t even want to think about myself.  I’m just… adjusting.”</p><p>“Have you tried making any new friends in this timeline?” Connie asked, sipping the juice she had gotten from Steven.</p><p>“I haven’t really thought about it,” Twoie replied.  “I mean, of course I thought about you at first, but I didn’t want to freak you out by seeking you out without Steven.  And Lars is still a rude and possessive ass, and Sadie hasn’t learned to stand up for herself, and I don’t know who else I could go to.”</p><p>“Twoie, that’s a quarter for the swear jar,” Steven noted, and Twoie rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah…”</p><p>“But there’s always the Cool Kids,” Steven offered.  “Remember?  Sour Cream, Buck, and Jenny?  They’re around your age, right?”</p><p>“They're a little younger,” Twoie corrected, but he hummed in consideration.  “But then again, the age gap is about the same as the gap between you and Connie.  Still, they don’t know that I’m you from the future.”</p><p>“Wait, back up.  Steven, how old are you?” Connie asked.  “You can’t be that much younger than me, right?”</p><p>“Oh, no, he’s older, actually,” Twoie said.</p><p>“I’m thirteen and a half,” Steven added.  Connie’s eyes widened.</p><p>“But I’m only twelve!” she exclaimed.  “Twoie, how old are you?”</p><p>“Seventeen,” he responded.  “I’ll be eighteen in August.”</p><p>“Woah, that’s—ah, ow!”  Connie reached up to rub her temples, and Twoie chuckled.  His concern had been for nothing, after all.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Steven asked, and Connie groaned.</p><p>“I think…” she took her glasses off, shaking her head slowly.  “There’s just… there’s something wrong with my glasses.”  She squinted ahead, blinking blearily.  After a moment, her eyes widened, and she quickly glanced between Twoie and Steven.  “My… my eyes!  I-I-I can <em>see!</em>”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“<em>I can see without my glasses!</em>” Connie exclaimed, shocked.  </p><p>“I… I did it?” Steven asked himself, then looked up at Twoie, who gave him a thumbs up.  “I healed you, Connie!  You were right, Twoie!”</p><p>“Wait, what do you mean?” Connie asked.  “What am I going to tell my parents?  What am I going to tell my <em>optometrist?!</em>”</p><p>“I don’t even know!” Steven shouted, the elation from healing his friend taking over.  He jumped to his feet, waving his hands excitedly.  "I've gotta go tell the gems!"  He hurried off down the hill, Lion trailing along behind him.  Twoie looked over at Connie, who remained where she was.</p><p>“For now, if you pop out the lenses, I can find you some plain plastic ones to put in their place,” Twoie offered.  Connie nodded, still stunned.  “It’s gonna be okay, Connie.  Just don’t draw attention to it for now, and no one will notice.”</p><p>“Okay,” the girl agreed.  “Uh… Twoie?”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“I’ll be your friend, if you want.”  Twoie couldn’t stop the gentle warmth of acceptance that enveloped his chest.  He had been worried for nothing.  He hadn’t fought with this Connie.  She didn’t hate him.  Honestly, even his Connie didn’t hate him.  She had been nothing but understanding from the moment they became friends.</p><p>“Thanks, Connie,” Twoie said.  “I’d be happy to have you as my friend.”</p><p>While she wasn’t someone he could really tell about all the things he had dealt with and how he was coping, it was nice to have made peace with that particular worry of his.  <em>Connie didn’t hate him.</em>  For the moment, that was enough.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Gem in the Mirror</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Twoie deals with the usual array of mental stability issues he has become accustomed to dealing with, while simultaneously trying to prevent Lapis from stealing the ocean and Steven from getting in trouble with the gems.  It's a difficult balance he's trying to strike, but he's making it work for now.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Twoie did his best to relax, the sound of gently rushing water and floating clouds doing wonders for his anxiety.  The soft surface he sat on shifted ever so slightly, and he felt himself being lifted into the air.</p><p>“Deep breaths, Steven,” Blue said softly, her gentle song helping him to relax. “Remember, your emotions do not rule you. You rule your emotions. You are the pilot. You are in control.” </p><p>“I am in control,” he repeated, feeling the anger, the baseless apprehension within him recede.  </p><p>“As a Diamond, it is natural for your powers to become overwhelming at times,” Blue reminded him. “If you will recall, it was only recently that Yellow and I gained better control of our abilities and tempers. Taking your time at developing control is healthy and normal, and it is okay that you are still working on it.” </p><p>“I just want to be okay again,” Steven muttered, and Blue smiled fondly.  </p><p>“You will be, love,” she assured him. “Just remember, asking for help is a strength. Relying on others when you need it is as validating for those who care for you as it is beneficial for you, and it is not bad to need time for yourself.” </p><p>“I know.  Thanks, Blue.” </p><p> </p><p>When he awoke the next morning, Twoie felt more refreshed than he had in years.  </p><p>He yawned and stretched out, starfishing across the bed. He might have missed sleeping in the loft of the house, but he had to admit, there were some advantages to claiming his room in the temple. He had so much more privacy in there, not to mention how soft the bed was. He reached over and grabbed his phone to check the time. He stared at the lock screen, blinking once, twice.  </p><p>
  <em>1:37 p.m.</em>
</p><p>Oh, fuck. He had overslept.  By a <em>lot</em>.</p><p>He made a mental list as he rushed to get ready for the day, as he did every morning.  </p><p>Get dressed.  </p><p>Find Steven.  </p><p>Ensure he was safe.  </p><p>Figure out what was going to happen that day, if anything.  </p><p>Decide if his interference was necessary.  </p><p>Make a new list. </p><p>His human therapist had explained that making lists with clear goals to accomplish throughout the day would help him with his compulsions. He found that it helped him feel like he was in control. That was a big issue Blue had told him Diamonds often run into. His dream was a pretty big reminder of that issue, and it was something he had been fighting with since coming to the past. </p><p>It’s a part of a Diamond’s coding to always be in perfect control of what’s going on around her. Losing that control in any capacity could lead to mental distress. If making lists made him feel in control and helped his coding vibe with his organic mind, then he was more than happy to go with it.  </p><p>When he darted out of the temple door and saw the three gems crowded around a pile of school supplies, Twoie felt his chest tighten. Number two on his list was not complete, but number four had just been checked off. He took a couple deep breaths, ignoring the concerned looks he was getting from the gems. It was okay. He would just reorder his list for the day.  </p><p>He had gotten dressed. </p><p>He knew what was happening that day. </p><p>He didn’t know <em>exactly</em> where Steven was, but he knew he was safe. That was better than nothing, he supposed.</p><p>Cool. Awesome. Wonderful. Immaculate. All he had to do was find his younger self, and he could move on to step five.  </p><p>
  <em>I hate hate hate skipping steps, holy shit—</em>
</p><p>“Does anyone know where Steven is?” Twoie asked, wincing at the strained quality of his gemsong. He was grateful that the other gems let it be.  </p><p>“He’s out on the boardwalk,” Garnet informed him.  “He’ll be back sometime this evening.”</p><p>“I think I’m gonna go find him, if that’s okay,” Twoie told her, and she nodded, turning her attention back to Pearl’s stacking.</p><p>“Steven told the donut children that you’re his brother,” Garnet said, and Twoie nodded, grabbing his wallet and hurrying out the door.</p><p> </p><p>Twoie made his way to the Big Donut.  He remembered going there first, walking into Lars and knocking him and the table over.  When he arrived, the table was in its proper place, but Sadie and Lars were still setting the others out.  He hurried over to them.</p><p>“Uh, hey, either of you seen a kid?” Twoie asked, trying not to meet their eyes.  It was so weird to see them like this, Sadie with blonde hair and Lars without his zombie makeover.  At least the latter didn’t seem to be paying much attention to him. “Looks like he’s around eight, heavyset, wears a star tee shirt, pink gemstone in his navel?”</p><p>“Oh, Steven?” Sadie replied, putting down the chair she was carrying to walk over.  “Yeah, he went down the boardwalk about an hour ago.”  Twoie nodded.  Okay, that’s cool.  He had a time frame, now.  An hour wasn’t that long.</p><p>“Thanks, I got worried when I saw he had left on his own,” Twoie explained.  “I know he does it a lot when I’m not around, but it still kinda freaks me out.”  Sadie nodded in understanding.</p><p>“You must be his big brother, then?” she asked, and Twoie nodded, smiling at her.  He finally managed to look her in the eyes.  She seemed just as awkward as he did, and he couldn’t help but relax at that realization.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m Twoie,” he replied.  “Nice to meet you, uh…?”</p><p>“Oh, Sadie,” she offered a hand, and Twoie shook it.  “Nice to meet you, too.”</p><p>“Sadie, stop goofing off,” Lars called, walking over.  “We’ve got to get this done before… who…?”</p><p>“I’m Twoie,” he said once again, and Lars gave him a once-over.  “Sadie wasn’t goofing off, she was telling me where my brother went.”</p><p>“You’re Steven’s brother?” Lars asked, seeming surprised.  Twoie raised a brow.  They looked damn near identical, if you discounted the height and age.</p><p>“Uh, yeah?”  Twoie glanced over at Sadie, who shrugged.  “Well, I’ve gotta go find Steven.  It was nice meeting you, Sadie, and, uh… you?”</p><p>“That’s Lars,” Sadie said softly, and Twoie nodded.</p><p>“Right, that, Lars,” he acknowledged.  “Sorry, I’ve gotta go.  You two have a good afternoon!”  He turned and rushed off, trying his best to shake the feeling of déjà vu he got from seeing his friends back in this stage of their lives.  It seemed his acting skills were serving him well, at least.  He had to focus, though.  Steven wouldn’t be far.</p><p> </p><p>“Steven!” Twoie called out, catching sight of the child sitting on the sand.  Steven turned around and waved when he saw Twoie approaching.</p><p>“Hey, Twoie!” Steven replied.  He was practically bouncing where he sat when Twoie took the spot beside him.  “Check it out!”  He held out the mirror, and Twoie gently took it.  He was right.  This was the day he had freed Lapis.</p><p>“What’s… oh, a mirror,” Twoie remarked, keeping his voice even.  He put the mirror to the side, facing down, and turned to Steven.  He held his finger to his lips when Steven went to say something, and the boy went silent.  Twoie pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a message before handing it to Steven.</p><p>‘Don’t mention that I’m from the future.  I’ll explain later.  Plz trust me.’  Steven nodded, and Twoie picked up the mirror again.</p><p>“Well, it’s definitely beautiful,” he remarked.  “Did Pearl give it to you?”</p><p>“Yeah, she said it would teach me stuff, but it does something even cooler!”  He looked into the mirror, accepting it when Twoie handed it back.  “Say hi to my big brother!”  As expected, the mirror didn’t make a sound.  Steven gently rubbed the silver side.  “It’s okay, he won’t judge.”</p><p>“What’s—brother?” she spliced the words together, and Twoie’s eyes widened.  It was still shocking to him, even after all these years.</p><p>“It’s a human thing,” he responded, carefully examining the mirror.  It looked just like he remembered it, slightly scuffed up and in desperate need of a polishing, not to mention the nasty crack across Lapis herself.  “We have the same parents.”</p><p>“What’s—parents?”</p><p>“Oh, boy,” Twoie sighed.</p><p>“You made something new!”  Steven exclaimed, and Twoie chuckled, glad to have gotten out of that spiral of questions.  He knew Steven knew about procreation and stuff, but it wasn’t something he really wanted to discuss in front of his younger self.  “Say something else!”</p><p>“Steven—” Lars’ voice, “is—” Steven’s voice, “a new friend!” Sadie’s voice.  Steven perked up.</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Yeah ha ha!” the mirror laughed.  </p><p>“Thanks!”  Steven answered.  Twoie took a deep breath.</p><p>“Steven… I don’t think it’s just a mirror,” he said, and the mirror was suddenly silent.  “A normal mirror wouldn’t be able to change what it sees to make words.  I think that gem is alive in there.”  Steven’s smile fell, and Twoie felt his heart sink.  He hated to ruin the kid’s fun, but he wanted, no, <em>needed</em> to get Lapis out of that prison.</p><p>“But… how is that possible?” Steven asked.</p><p>“Honestly?” Twoie replied, “I don’t know.  What I do know is that we need to get her out of there.”</p><p>“Get her out of there,” the mirror quickly agreed, and Twoie turned to the mirror.</p><p>“Look… I want you to answer yes or no to my questions,” Twoie said clearly.  “We just want to help you.  Are you conscious in there?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Do you want us to let you out?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Twoie, we’ve got to go get the gems,” Steven said, jumping up.  “They wouldn’t have known that it’s alive!  They’ll know what to do!”</p><p>“NO!” the mirror cried, and Twoie hesitated.</p><p>“I… don’t know, buddy,” he said.  “I don’t think the gems will react too well.”</p><p>“Did they not in—” Steven stopped himself.  Was this why Twoie had asked him not to say anything?  If there really was a gem in this mirror, and they could hear their every word, it probably wasn’t good to let them know that Twoie was from the future.  “In the past, when you used to bring up your ideas to them?”  Twoie sighed softly.</p><p>“Not exactly,” he agreed.  “They brushed me off a lot.  They might think she’s dangerous.”</p><p>“Then what do we do?” Steven asked. Twoie shrugged.</p><p>“Maybe we could just… take her out here?”</p><p>“I dunno,” Steven said softly.  “I’d feel bad going behind the Gems’ backs.  Why don’t we just explain the situation to them?”</p><p>“They might not listen,” Twoie argued.</p><p>“You’re older, now,” Steven pointed out.  “They might believe you.”</p><p>“I… fine, I guess we can try,” Twoie finally gave in, and Steven hugged him.  Twoie rolled his eyes fondly as he returned the hug.  “Worse comes to worst, I can hold them off while you get her away and pull her out.”  He looked down at the mirror.  “Please, trust us.  We are getting you out of there, no matter what.”</p><p>“Thanks—Steven—Twoie,” the mirror cobbled together, and Twoie found himself smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, wait’ll you see—” Steven stopped short in the doorway, staring at the scene before him.  Pearl was meticulously stacking his school supplies from earlier, making incremental adjustments here and there.</p><p>“Yo, Ste-man, Two-dude!” Amethyst greeted them.  </p><p>“Hello, Steven, Twoie,” Pearl added.</p><p>“Howdy,” Garnet said from the couch, holding up a finger gun.  “Bang.”  Twoie snickered behind him, but Steven was caught between confusion and excitement.</p><p>“Wanna see something hi-larious?” Amethyst asked, then dropped MC Bear Bear onto the corner of the desk, only for him to be instantly impaled by one of Pearl’s spears.</p><p>“You don’t understand!” Pearl snapped.  “Symmetrical means both sides have to be the same!”  Pearl ripped the bear from her spear and threw it into a pile of other things that Amethyst must have tried adding to the pile.</p><p>“MC Bear Bear!” Steven cried out, but quickly shook it off.  “Okay, that’s great.  Anyway… I fixed the mirror!”  He held the item aloft, showing it to the other gems.  All three smiled over at them.</p><p>“Excellent work, Steven!” Pearl praised the younger teen, dissipating her spear.  </p><p>“That’s not all,” Twoie chimed in, placing a hand protectively on Steven’s shoulder.  He looked cautiously around at the other gems, hoping that with him there, they might react better than they had in his time.  “She’s alive.  Like, her gem?  She isn’t dormant in there.”</p><p>“There’s no way,” Pearl denied.  “That gem has been dormant for over five thousand years.  How could she possibly—”</p><p>“I must be incredibly important to Gem culture,” the mirror recited in Steven’s voice, backing him up, and Twoie bit his lip.  He vaguely recalled saying that, but back then, it had been a joke.  If only he had known… no wonder Pearl had seemed perturbed when he had said it.  No wonder she seemed so unsettled now.</p><p>“See? She’s repeating him,” Twoie pointed out the obvious.  “I’m telling you, she’s conscious!”</p><p>“There’s no way someone is in there! Just look in the mirror!” Pearl insisted, and Twoie stiffened. He could hear another voice in the back of his mind, shouting for his attention.  </p><p>‘<em>Look in the mirror, you know we both fear her!</em>’ the voice shouted, the distressed ringing of the gemsong all too familiar to him. ‘<em>We're one in the same! We're afraid to be near her! We utter the name with our spirits defeated! But you let her kill him! So you’re worse than either!</em>’ </p><p>“Twoie?” Pearl asked, clearly concerned, and Twoie shook it off. The memories were getting to be troublesome, and this was basically the worst time to be having flashbacks.  He had to focus on getting the gems to see his point of view.</p><p>“She’s sentient in there, and we need to release her!” Twoie snapped, and he had to force his frustration back once again. Suppressing his emotions wasn’t healthy, but this wasn’t the best situation for him to start talking about how no one was taking either version of him seriously. It was times like these that he missed the future, where he was seen as a capable leader.  </p><p>“She could be a Homeworld gem, Twoie!” Pearl replied, and Twoie could hear the near panic in her song. “She could turn on us the instant we let her out!” </p><p>“You and Garnet used to be Homeworld gems!” Twoie retorted. “<em>Mom</em> was a Homeworld gem! You all changed your minds! Why can’t Lapis?!” </p><p>“She wouldn’t hurt us!” Steven chimed in. “She just wants to be free!” </p><p>“Let her out, Steven,” Twoie ordered, and the child nodded, wrapping his pudgy little fingers around the cracked gem.  </p><p>“Steven, no!” Pearl protested, but Garnet stopped her from moving any closer. “Garnet?” </p><p>“I... I’ll admit, I don’t like this at all,” she revealed, and Twoie could feel the anxiety she was radiating. “But Twoie says she’s aware, and I wouldn’t want someone conscious to be trapped like that. If he says it’s safe... I believe him. There are futures where this goes well, where we earn an ally.” </p><p>“I promise, it’ll be fine,” Twoie swore.  “Mirror, all we ask is that you please don’t attack when we let you out.  You’re cracked, and I don’t want you hurting yourself any worse than you are now.  We can heal you, you just have to stay calm.”</p><p>“Stay calm,” the mirror copied, and Twoie nodded.</p><p>“Go ahead, Steven.”  Once again, Steven wrapped his fingers around the gem.  This time, though, he pulled hard.</p><p>Water began trickling from the faucets and under the door, and Twoie had to wonder if maybe, they should have done this outside.  It was too late to worry about it now, though.  There was a scratching sound, the sound of the gemstone being dislodged from the mirror, and within a few seconds, it popped free.  Shards of glass flew everywhere, and the gemstone in Steven’s hand glowed a bright blue.  Steven shielded his eyes.  Twoie watched on silently.  He could only hope that this would go well.</p><p>Within seconds, the light coalesced around the gemstone, forming a shape Twoie had come to know well.  When the brightness faded into her form, Lapis collapsed onto the wood floor, gasping.  Twoie slowly, cautiously made his way over to her.  Steven had no such reservations.  He rushed over, stopping just short of the blue gem.  She pushed herself up, then turned around, her glassy eyes reflecting the image of Steven and Twoie right back at them.</p><p>“Thank you,” she mumbled, sitting up the rest of the way.  She forced herself to her feet unsteadily, and Twoie quickly went to her side, catching her when she stumbled.  “You didn’t… you actually talked to me… you helped me!”  She stood, wobbling a bit before regaining her land legs.  “It’s Steven and Twoie, right?”  Both boys nodded, speechless.</p><p>“I’m Lapis, Lapis Lazuli,” she introduced herself, then looked suspiciously over at Twoie.  “Hmm…”  Whatever she was thinking, she must have decided it wasn’t important, because she shook her head and turned back to Steven.  “Are you two really Crystal Gems?”</p><p>“Yeah!” Steven confirmed with a smile.</p><p>“But… you set me free…” Lapis repeated, and Twoie nodded.</p><p>“The other Crystal Gems didn’t know you were alive in there,” he explained gently.  “I’m sorry you were trapped for so long.”</p><p>“No, it’s not your fault,” Lapis assured him, glaring over at Pearl and the others for a moment.  The three gems were watching warily, waiting for the new gem to act.  “I just… I just want to go home.”</p><p>“She can’t—” Pearl started, but Twoie cut her off.</p><p>“Of course,” he agreed.  “We should heal you, first, though.”  Lapis cocked her head.</p><p>“You can heal?”  Twoie nodded.</p><p>“Steven and I both can,” he confirmed.  “Because we’re—”</p><p>“Brothers, I remember that,” she cut in, and smiled when Twoie chuckled.</p><p>“Steven, you wanna go ahead and heal her up?”</p><p>“Same as last time?” Steven asked, and Twoie nodded.</p><p>“Yup, with your hand,” he confirmed.  Twoie saw how nervous the gems got as Steven licked his hand.  “Guys, I swear, it’s going to be okay.”</p><p>“We’re talking about this, later,” Pearl insisted, and Twoie nodded.  It was understandable that they’d want an explanation.</p><p>“Yeah, no problem,” he agreed.  </p><p>Steven licked his palm, much as he did with Amethyst, and smeared the saliva into Lapis’ cracks.  Because the damage was more severe, it took a couple extra seconds to heal up, but before long, Lapis Lazuli was whole again.  She sagged with obvious relief, then turned around to hug Steven.</p><p>“Thank you, Steven,” she said, and Steven gladly hugged her back.  She pulled away and looked awkwardly over at Twoie, who looked back just as self-consciously.  “Thank you too, Twoie.  I just… have one question.”</p><p>“What’s up?” Twoie asked.</p><p>“How did you know my name was Lapis?” the gem asked, and Twoie shrugged sheepishly.  </p><p>“Fama volat?” he offered, and Lapis hummed.  </p><p>“So do I.” Just as he remembered, watery wings sprouted from her back, and she smiled over at him and Steven. “Thanks again for freeing me.” </p><p>“No prob, Bob,” Steven replied.  </p><p>“It’s... Lapis,” she reminded him, confused. After a moment, she flapped her wings once. “Okay. Uh, bye.” </p><p>“Bye!” Steven called, stepping aside so she could make her way out of the screen door.  They watched as she flew off into the stratosphere and beyond. Twoie watched on in silence. Despite knowing that she would be captured, he still hoped she would be okay.  Glancing around, he was reminded of something relatively important.</p><p>“Steven?”</p><p>“Yeah, Twoie?”</p><p>“Remind me to teach you some basic math and language.”</p><p>“Aw, but summer vacation just started!”</p><p> </p><p>“Why would you let her go, Twoie?!” Pearl demanded.</p><p>“Just… listen,” Twoie sighed.  “I’ve got something important to say.”</p><p>“We’re listening, Twoie,” Garnet assured him, and Twoie smiled at her.  She was honestly the most supportive of the gems when it came to future bullshit.  He should have expected that, honestly.</p><p>“Things are going to start happening, soon,” Twoie told them.  “Some of these things… you’ll wonder why I let them happen.  Some things will be painful for you, or for others, or will seem to damage your relationships, or cause infighting, and will probably seem unnecessary, most of the time.”  He took a deep, shuddering breath, held it for four seconds, then let it out.  “I’m begging you all to please, <em>please</em> trust that I know what I’m doing.  Some things need to happen for other things to happen, and in order to get the best possible future, I need you guys to believe me when I tell you that I would <em>never</em> let you suffer needlessly.  I love you all, and it’s genuinely painful to let some things happen, but…”</p><p>“We understand, Twoie,” Garnet spoke up, offering the young man a comforting smile.  “Or, at least, I do.  Being able to see the future, whatever way you achieve it, is a burden that can be more of a curse than a gift at times.  We trust your judgement.”</p><p>“Thanks, Garnet,” Twoie said, then looked over to the other two gems, who looked genuinely uncomfortable.  “If it makes you feel better, no one shatters” <strong>‘yet’</strong> “and no one gets corrupted” <em>‘yet.’</em>  “You’re all going to be okay.  Steven, too.”</p><p>“And… what about you?” Pearl asked, and Twoie paused for a minute.  He honestly wasn’t sure.</p><p>“I’ll be fine,” he finally responded.  “I can take care of myself.  I have been for a while, now.”</p><p>“What do you mean?  Are we not around, anymore?”  Amethyst asked, and Twoie winced.</p><p>“I mean, I can’t answer that,” he tried to cover.  “Just know that you’re all going to be just fine.  I know what’s going to happen, so I can make sure my future doesn’t happen.”</p><p>“What does happen in your future?” Pearl pressed, and Twoie ran his organic hand through his hair.</p><p>“Unpleasant things,” he answered shortly.  “Things I don’t want to remember, right now.”  He took another deep breath, then another.  “Sorry, I just… I don’t like to think about it.”</p><p>“That’s okay,” Pearl reassured him gently.  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”</p><p>“Thank you all for understanding,” Twoie said, not able to meet anyone’s gazes.  “I think… I’m gonna go get some sleep.”</p><p>“Good night, Twoie,” Garnet said, and the sentiment was repeated by the other gems.  “Sleep well.”</p><p>“I’ll try,” he replied, leaving the burning room and making his way to the room he had claimed as his own.</p><p>When he got to his room, he flopped down on the bed and sighed.  He had just given the gems more cause for concern.  He couldn’t lie to them, though.  If he lied, he’d be no better than his mother, and he refused to be like her.  He had worked so hard to get out from behind her shadow, to fix her mistakes, and in the end, one of her mistakes had doomed his timeline.  It was hard to decide how he felt about her.</p><p>He supposed that was just another part of his life that he didn’t know how to feel about.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fama volat is Latin for "rumor flies," and it's an important quote from Vergil's Aenead.  I just translated that passage and I got excited about it, so please excuse my use of it here.  Thanks for reading!  I plan to update every Friday, from now on, although I can't guarantee I'll stick strictly to that since finals are coming up and I'm having to do everything from home.  I hope y'all like it!<br/>BTW my tumblr is https://friendlyfelony.tumblr.com/ if you want to come say hi or interact or whatever it is people do on the internet.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. You, Me, and Steve(n)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Island Adventure and Fusion Cuisine!<br/>Twoie realizes something about himself, makes a friend, and helps two children see the value in partial truths without meaning to.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been kind of stressful, waiting for things to happen.  Some things, he had changed.  He had managed to prevent Pearl from taking Steven into space by telling her that the rocket wouldn’t hold up, and that Steven still needed to be able to spend time with Greg.  He had also (very correctly) pointed out that while she might miss space, she was a war criminal, and being caught by Homeworld at that time meant certain shattering.</p><p>“Don’t take him up in the ship,” he had said, annoyed that she wasn’t listening to reason.  He had stayed up all night, waiting to hear the inevitable sound of engines roaring and wheels skating the dirt path to the barn, but he heard nothing.</p><p>It wasn’t until the next morning that he lifted the order, horrified with himself.  Pearl had assured him that it was fine, that he didn’t mean to do it, and that it was probably for the best that they hadn’t gone.  Twoie still felt terrible.  Pearl was free.  He couldn’t order her around.</p><p>Luckily, he had gotten a great distraction when they all went to Mask Island.</p><p>“Are you sure it’s here?” Pearl asked Garnet, looking out over the water.  </p><p>“It was,” Garnet mumbled, rubbing her chin idly.  </p><p>“Do you think it swam away?” Pearl questioned.  Twoie followed Steven as he wandered a little further down the beach.  </p><p>“We’ll have to look,” Garnet replied.</p><p>“Whoa…” Steven breathed, staring out at the beautiful horizon.  </p><p>“Yeah, I always forget how beautiful this place is,” Twoie agreed.</p><p>“Come on,” Amethyst cut in, picking Steven up and grabbing Twoie by the arm.  “It’s time to go.”</p><p>“Wait, I remember this gem!” Twoie said, and the gems all stopped.  “She’s invisible!  That’s why we can’t find her!”</p><p>“Excellent work, Twoie,” Pearl praised him, and Twoie smiled.  “So, how do we find it?”</p><p>“Uh… in my timeline, it attacked me when I brought a couple humans here,” Twoie explained, ignoring the scandalized look Pearl gave him.  “Sadie stabbed it with a wood plank and poofed it.”  He thought about what he recalled about the Euclase.  “I think we only saw it because it was raining, and Sadie accidentally knocked Lars into a ravine full of mud.”</p><p>“So all we have to do is go get Sadie and Lars!” Steven summarized, and Twoie chuckled.</p><p>“Uh, maybe we could keep the potentially deadly missions between us, okay Steven?” he suggested.  “That whole island adventure was rough on everyone.  I’d rather it not happen again, if that’s okay.  It doesn’t have that significant of an impact how we get the gem, as long as we manage to find it.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“So, we make some mud?” Amethyst asked.</p><p>“That, or we wait for it to rain,” Garnet responded.  “It’ll be a while, though.”  Twoie heard something, like TV static, and froze.</p><p>“Guys, can y’all be completely silent for just a sec?”  Amethyst went to protest, but when she saw how serious Twoie was, decided to go with it.  He closed his eyes and focused.  The sound got louder.  It was like lo-fi music with a lot more static than comfortable.  It was Gemsong.  It was warped and pained, but he recognized it.  “There.  I hear her.”</p><p>“Twoie?” Pearl asked, then jumped off the warp pad when Twoie began to walk into the bushes, his eyes closed.  “Twoie!”</p><p>“Pearl, shh,” Garnet hushed her, silently following behind the older hybrid.</p><p>Twoie stepped out of the bushes and floated down into the ravine, following his senses.  He was getting closer.  Soon, it was right in front of him.  Sure enough, he could hear the telltale shuffling and vibrations of a gem corruption moving around in the clearing.  He opened his eyes.  Just a few meters away was the Euclase, standing perfectly still.</p><p>“Gotcha,” Twoie muttered, then summoned his shield.  He activated his super speed and slammed into the corrupt gem within an instant, dissipating its form.  He caught the gem and bubbled it before turning around to hand the bubble over to Garnet.  “Boom.”</p><p>“That was amazing!” Amethyst enthused, rushing over and slapping Twoie on the back.  “How’d you even know where it was?!”</p><p>“Uh, empathy, I guess,” Twoie answered.  He hadn’t realized when he was younger, or even before now, but the emotions of corrupted gems were… <em>loud</em>, for lack of a better term.  Something Pearl had taught him was that gems experience the world through sound, song, and frequency.  Everything had a sound.  It would seem that all Twoie had to do was tune into the music of other gems’ emotions.  Even invisibility wasn’t an obstacle, after that.</p><p>“Of course,” Garnet said, ruffling his hair.  Twoie rolled his eyes fondly at the affection.  “You keep on surprising us, Twoie.”</p><p>“That was awesome!” Steven exclaimed.  “You went all pink, and then it was like you were a blur!  Like Sanic the Hedgehog!”</p><p>“I got that power recently,” Twoie explained as Garnet tapped the top of the bubble, sending it off to the temple.  “I was… sixteen?  I discovered it when I was fused with Amethyst.”</p><p>“We can fuse, too?!” Steven shouted, and Twoie laughed.</p><p>“Well, yeah,” he said.  “We’re gems, right?  We just have to be patient, and it comes to us.”</p><p>“When did you first fuse?” Steven asked.  Twoie picked him up and followed the other three gems back to the warp pad.  “Who was it with?  Did we dance cool like Amethyst and Pearl did?  Do Amethyst and Pearl ever fuse with Garnet?  How giant would she be?  What if we all fused together?!”</p><p>“I can’t answer those questions, buddy,” Twoie replied.  “But what I can say is that it won’t be too long, you just have to believe that you can do it and let it happen naturally.”</p><p>“Aw, okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Twoie figured it wouldn’t be the best idea to go to the Big Donut after the whole island thing.  He knew that if Sadie and Lars got hurt this time, it would be on him.  Instead, he distracted Steven by taking him to get fries and giving him quarters to play in the arcade.</p><p>Now he stood awkwardly in the arcade, watching Steven dart around from machine to machine.  It wasn’t that he didn’t like video games, he just had a lot on his mind.  Was his interference really not going to have serious consequences?  It didn’t seem that they were, and while he was honestly okay with that, he couldn’t help but feel like the second shoe was about to drop.</p><p>And that just brought him back to his situation.  He was in a time he had moved beyond years ago with no one who understood his situation whom he could really talk to.  If he went to the gems, they could change something, and it would be his fault.  He couldn’t possibly put all this on Steven.  He could technically talk to Connie, but like Steven, she was just a kid, and wouldn’t understand a lot of what he was going through.</p><p>At times like this, he missed Lars.  The pink zombie pirate had been his lieutenant, his confidant when he couldn’t go to Connie.  He had stood beside him on foreign planets while he presided over a court.  He had supported Twoie in ways that a human (who needed oxygen and had a stable home life) couldn’t.  The Lars here had so far to go, and if things went according to plan, and he changed things enough that certain events wouldn’t happen, Lars wouldn't die in space.  If he didn’t die on Homeworld, he wouldn’t become someone who Twoie could talk to about anything.</p><p>Well, he could, but it wasn’t likely, if Twoie were honest with himself.</p><p>“Sup, man,” a deep, monotone voice caught Twoie off guard, and he flinched, looking over to who had spoken.  It was Sour Cream.  The teen wasn’t looking at him, instead watching his little brother shaking the Guy machine.</p><p>“Uh, hey,” Twoie greeted him awkwardly. </p><p>“Sorry to bother you, but you seem like you have a lot on your mind,” the other teen noted.  After a minute, he looked over.  “So, you’re the guy Mom told me about, then?”</p><p>“Your mom knows me?” Twoie asked, and Sour Cream nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, Aunt Amethyst came by about a week or so ago and told her about you,” he explained.  “I was kinda surprised to hear about there being a Steven from the future, but honestly, I can see it.”  Twoie’s eyes widened at his words.</p><p>“How did you—we can’t have this conversation here,” he mumbled, more to himself than to the teen beside him. “Steven, I’ll be back later, don’t commit any serious crimes!”</p><p>“Okay!” Steven called back. </p><p>“Can you come with me for a minute?” Twoie requested. Sour Cream glanced over at his little brother, slightly hesitant. “You and I both know Onion can take care of himself. Please?”  Twoie didn’t know if it was the look of desperation in his eyes or the knowledge that Onion did as Onion pleased, but Sour Cream relented pretty easily.</p><p>“Sure, I can come,” Sour Cream acquiesced. Twoie gently took Sour Cream’s arm and tugged him away to the beach, where he flopped down and buried his face in his hands. </p><p>“How did you know I’m from the future?” Twoie questioned. “It’s supposed to be a secret.”</p><p>“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t tell anybody,” Sour Cream assured the other teen. “Mom only told me at dinner one night.  Onion was in his room, and Yellowtail was out late.”</p><p>“Oh, fuck, right,” Twoie sighed. “I forgot Amethyst is friends with Vidalia. Please, please keep this under wraps,” he requested. “I want to live as normal a life here as possible.”</p><p>“Yeah, no problem, man,” Sour Cream agreed without hesitation. “Mom said you had been through some serious shit, so I’m not here to make your load heavier or anything.”</p><p>“What all did she say?” Twoie asked.</p><p>“She said that you’re Steven from a post-apocalyptic future that came back to fix things,” Sour Cream explained. “That’s all she really got from Amethyst’s info-dump, though.”</p><p>“That’s all that’s important,” Twoie remarked dryly. “Okay, this is... fine. Of anyone who could know, at least it’s you and not… I don’t know, Ronaldo or something.”</p><p>“Yeah, that would be rough,” Sour Cream agreed. “Just know that if you need to talk, I’m here, man. I don’t understand a lot of gem stuff, and I won’t really be much good for advice, but I’m always down if you wanna just vent or something.” Twoie hummed softly. </p><p>“That sounds... really nice.”</p><p>“Talking things through always helps me out,” the teen continued.  “I mean, I’m not here to <em>make</em> you talk, but, like, Steven’s my friend, and you’re Steven, right?  At least, you’re future Steven.  So, you’re my friend by extension, I guess?”</p><p>“We were pretty good friends in my timeline,” Twoie said.  “And I will admit, things have been getting harder lately.  I don’t wanna dump all sorts of baggage on you or anything, but it would be nice to have some support from someone who’s not all up in all this mess, you know?”</p><p>“I feel that, man,” Sour Cream replied.  “Look, lemme give you my number.  Text me when you need someone to talk to, or if you just want to hang.  I could introduce you to Buck and Jenny… but you already know them.”</p><p>“No, that would actually be awesome,” Twoie said, pulling his phone out.  “I don’t want more people than already do to know that I’m from… you know.  If you introduce me to them, maybe I won’t be as suspicious?”</p><p>“What’s your alibi?”</p><p>“I was in boarding school in Ocean Town,” Twoie briefed his new friend.  “I just graduated this May, so I came home for good.  I didn’t really leave the temple when I was little, so that explains why no one knows that I exist.”</p><p>“Sounds cool to me,” Sour Cream confirmed.  “Maybe… I met you at one of my raves in Downtown Ocean Town?  I haven’t done many, but there were a couple when my internet friends asked me to branch out.”  Twoie sighed when he heard the words ‘internet friends.’</p><p>“Kevin…”  He shook his head.  “Yeah, that sounds fine.  I came up to ask if you were from around there, and said that I really liked your music, and we’ve kept in touch ever since.”</p><p>“You’re good at this,” Sour Cream noted, typing in Twoie’s number in his phone.  “Steven doesn’t seem like a good liar.”</p><p>“A lot has changed in the past four years,” Twoie sighed.  Sour Cream just nodded.  Twoie appreciated that he didn’t pry.</p><p>“We’d better get back to our brothers,” Sour Cream said with a smirk, and Twoie returned the expression, accepting the hand the other teen offered him to help him up.  He chuckled when<br/>
Sour Cream struggled to lift him, and used his floating powers to assist him.  “Geez, man, what kind of workout schedule are you on?”</p><p>“Up until recently I would fistfight with an angry buff quartz in the woods at least once a week,” Twoie explained.  “Shit went sour, and we stopped, but shortly before I had to leave we started meeting up to spar again.”</p><p>“Wow, that sounds like a long story,” Sour Cream stated, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“I might tell you about it, sometime, if I feel up for it,” Twoie said.</p><p>“Yeah, man, all at your own pace,” Sour Cream replied.  Twoie smiled.  </p><p>“Thanks, man.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, you made a friend?” Steven asked as they made their way back down the boardwalk.  The sun was setting, and Twoie had decided that he wanted Steven home by dark.  It wasn’t that he didn’t think the child could defend himself, but that he was hoping to give Steven a little more structure.  It wasn’t good for a kid to have complete and unlimited freedom.</p><p>“He kinda knew I was from the future,” Twoie admitted, and Steven blinked.</p><p>“I didn’t tell him,” he said after a moment, and Twoie sighed.</p><p>“I know you didn’t,” he answered.  “Amethyst told his mom, and she told Sour Cream.”</p><p>“Why would Amethyst tell Sour Cream’s mom about you?”</p><p>“They’re pretty close friends,” Twoie explained briefly.</p><p>“But my question still stands,” Steven pointed out.  “Did you make a friend?”</p><p>“I think I did,” Twoie said with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>Twoie liked moments like these.  He was sitting against Steven’s headboard, reading a book while Steven and Connie watched Under the Knife.  He wasn’t paying much attention to the show (the first few seasons were much less exciting once you got to the twist in Season 7), but it was nice just to have other people present.</p><p>“AAAH, this show is <em>so good!</em>” Connie exclaimed, kicking her legs.  Twoie chuckled, moving out of the way of her excited flailing.  “Thank you so much for letting me watch Under the Knife here, Steven!”</p><p>“How come you can’t watch this show at home?” Steven asked.</p><p>“My mom says this doesn’t represent a <em>real</em> emergency room,” Connie groaned.  Twoie had to admit, Dr. Maheswaran wasn’t wrong about that.  That didn’t mean it wasn’t fun to watch the show, of course.</p><p>“<em>How did his legs get into… his brain?!</em>” the nurse exclaimed dramatically, and Twoie snorted.  He was reminded of a case he’d had to deal with when some of his gems had gotten too invested in a rugby game.  A little Diamond Essence and they were back to normal, but it was still weird seeing cracked gems’ forms.  He took back what he thought earlier.  Dr. Maheswaran had no idea what it was like in a Gem emergency room.  ‘<em>A Gemergency room, if you will.</em>’  ‘<strong>I most certainly will not, that was terrible.</strong>’  </p><p>“She just doesn’t understand that it’s satire.”  A buzzing, ringing sound came from Connie’s purse, and Twoie sat up straight, dropping his book.  </p><p>“Is that your phone?” Steven asked.</p><p>“When she asks to speak to his parents, they’re not in, but his older brother’s keeping an eye on you,” Twoie said quickly.  Connie, though confused, nodded, and picked up the phone.  She looked at her caller ID before turning to Twoie.</p><p>“How did you—?”</p><p>“Future.  Answer.”  Connie flipped her glasses down before answering.  It was a little detail that Twoie had never noticed before.  It was kinda funny, but he didn’t say anything.</p><p>“Hi, Mother, it’s Connie,” she greeted.  “Mmhmm.  Yes, ma’am, I’m at the home of Steven Universe.  Mmhmm.  Yes, ma’am, we’re just hanging out.  Oh… Steven’s parents?  They stepped out for a little bit to run errands, but his older brother is here watching us.  Sure, you can talk to him.  Hold on a moment.”  Connie put her hand to the receiver and looked over at Twoie.  “Are you sure you want to?”</p><p>“It’s fine, I know what to expect,” Twoie assured her.  Connie handed him the phone, and he took a deep breath before holding it to his ear.  “Hi, is this Connie’s mom?”</p><p>“Yes, this is Dr. Maheswaran,” the voice of the stern doctor came over the speaker.  “I’m assuming this is Steven Universe’s older brother?”</p><p>“This is he,” Twoie confirmed, minding his manners.  He was a space diplomat, he could talk to a doctor he <em>knew</em>.  “I’m… Ventus.  Our guardians are out for the moment, is there anything I can help you with?”</p><p>“How old are you, Ventus?” the doctor asked, and Twoie took a deep breath.</p><p>“I’m seventeen, ma’am,” he replied.  “I’ll be eighteen in August.”</p><p>“What are the children doing right now?” she pressed.</p><p>“I just made them some lunch, so they’re eating at the moment,” Twoie answered easily.  This was just like when he had to talk to the Diamonds and really didn’t want to.  It was the same thing.  He just had to keep telling himself that, and maybe it would be true.</p><p>“What did you make?”</p><p>“It’s a pretty simple broccoli soup,” Twoie told her, thinking back on his recipe book she had given him in the future for his sixteenth birthday.  It was a vegetarian book, and he had almost cried when she had given it to him.</p><p>“Hmm…” Dr. Maheswaran seemed to think for a moment.  “Tell Connie to call me back when your parents get home.  I’d like to speak with them.”</p><p>“Of course, I’ll let her know,” Twoie said pleasantly.  “Have a nice day, ma’am.”</p><p>“You too, Ventus.”  She hung up, and Twoie handed the phone back to Connie. </p><p>“You’re not out of the woods, yet,” Twoie said, running a hand through his hair when the relief on Connie’s face fell.  “She still wants to talk to our ‘parents.’”</p><p>“That’s gonna be pretty hard, since my mom gave up her physical form to make me,” Steven commented.  </p><p>“I can’t tell her that!” Connie retorted, and Twoie huffed.</p><p>“Especially since I’m here, and Mom could only give up her form once,” he pointed out.</p><p>“We could have Garnet talk to her,” Steven suggested.</p><p>“Bad idea,” Garnet called up from in the living room.  Twoie nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, she panics,” Twoie revealed.  “She says something like, ‘hello, this is mum Universe.  The children are playing swords.  Oh no, they are bleeding, they’re dead, don’t call again.’  It doesn’t go well.”</p><p>“What about Pearl, she seems motherly,” Connie asked.</p><p>“Connie, you need to tell your mother the truth,” Twoie said.</p><p>“I can’t, you know I can’t!”</p><p>“Look… we can come up with a partial truth,” Twoie amended.  He hated to see Connie this upset.  “Something that will get your parents to see the gems as responsible guardians, and that will help them understand why you lied in the first place.”</p><p>“Isn’t that still lying?” Connie asked.</p><p>“It’s less lying than claiming that Steven has a nuclear family,” Twoie deadpanned.</p><p>“Nuclear?!” Steven snapped.  “Sure, they make stuff blow up sometimes, but that’s because they’re magic, not radioactive!”</p><p>“Steven, you sweet summer child,” Twoie hummed.  “Nuclear means that there’s two adults and their children in a family unit.  It has nothing to do with explosives.”</p><p>“Oh.  It’s still not true.”</p><p>“Okay, okay, fine.  Twoie, what do you suggest?” Connie asked.  Twoie smiled and stood up.</p><p>“Give me just a second.”</p><p> </p><p>He came back a few minutes later carrying a leather-bound notebook filled with lined paper.  He opened it to a certain page and pointed at the pages.</p><p>“There, the perfect alibi!”  Connie and Steven looked at the pages.  They were filled with incomprehensible scribbles.  Both looked up at Twoie, concerned.</p><p>“Twoie, that’s not… words,” Steven pointed out.  Twoie blinked, looked down, then smacked himself.</p><p>“Ah, right, you don’t know Gemglyph,” he muttered.  “Okay, I’ll read it to you.  Step 1. Intercept call from Dr. Maheswaran.  That’s done.  Step 2. Tell Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran that our mom is dead and that her sisters helped raise us with our dad.  Step 3. Go to dinner with everyone and have a good time, keeping the lie alive.  Step 4. Profit.”</p><p>“Profit?” Steven asked.  “How are we making money?”</p><p>“Oh, no, it’s a meme,” Twoie explained.  “It doesn’t mean you make money; it just means you get favorable results.”</p><p>“Oh.  Okay.”</p><p>“So you want my parents to meet all the gems together?” Connie asked, clearly skeptical.</p><p>“What about a fusion?” Steven asked.</p><p>“Again, bad idea,” Twoie said immediately.</p><p>“What, why?”</p><p>“We can’t decide which gem to bring, so they all fuse into Alexandrite,” Twoie explained.  “None of the other fusions would work… except maybe Rainbow?  No, they hate eating, too…”</p><p>“Who’s Rainbow?”</p><p>“Me and Pearl,” Twoie answered absently.  “The best course of action seems to be to tell as much of the truth as possible.  Our mom died in childbirth, and her sisters or friends or whatever helped Dad to raise us when it got to be too much for a single dad on a low income.  Pearl and Garnet will seem strict enough to appeal to your parents, Connie, and I can kind of temper Amethyst as much as I can.”</p><p>“And you really think that’ll work?” Connie asked, and Twoie nodded.</p><p>“It’s the best we’ve got.”  He momentarily considered asking Garnet, but then recalled that Steven still didn’t know about future vision.</p><p>“Why don’t we just… tell the whole truth?” Steven asked.  Twoie rested a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“Connie’s parents aren’t ready to know that there’s magic in her life, yet,” Twoie did his best to explain.  “It’s for the best now that we don’t tell them everything.  Sometimes, you have to know when to keep things from people for their own good, especially in cases like this.”  Steven considered this, then looked back up at Twoie.</p><p>“Like you do?”  Twoie was taken aback.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You keep your thoughts and feelings secret,” Steven elaborated.  “You sometimes wake up with dark circles under your eyes and you say it’s nothing, or I can feel this sort of… offness about you, but you tell me not to worry about it.  Or when something is gonna happen, but you can’t tell anyone?”  Twoie took a deep breath.  He held it for a few seconds, then released it.</p><p>“That’s a little different, Steven,” he said.  “That’s future stuff.  This is present stuff.  Just… Connie, tell them some of the truth.  You don’t have to talk about magic, just tell them about our living situation.”  Connie nodded, looking closely at Twoie.  Twoie stood abruptly, smiling just a little too wide, then opened the sliding glass door.  “I’ll be back in about half an hour.  Let me know if it goes okay.”  He jumped away, leaping up the statue to get to the lighthouse.</p><p>When he settled down, he typed out a text to Sour Cream.</p><p>‘You free later this week?  I wanna talk.’</p><p> </p><p>Dinner went pretty smoothly, all things considered.  Twoie kept Amethyst in check with the promise of a new tire for her tire pile, Pearl proved that she was a strict-enough parental figure, and Garnet’s overall demeanor comforted the Maheswarans.  With Greg as the calm and ‘normal’ parent, and Pearl’s apparent allergy to garlic, everything went over smoothly.  Twoie could only hope that things stayed relatively calm until after the hospital.</p><p>Wait… the hospital.</p><p>He didn’t like to think about that.  It had to happen, though, didn’t it?  Or did it?</p><p>But it did, because it was the best way for Connie’s parents to find out, right?  But maybe…?</p><p>Twoie pushed the internal argument down.  He could deal with that later, in private.  He didn’t need to freak everyone at the table out.  When he looked up, all eyes were on him.</p><p>“Oh, sorry, I was spacing out,” Twoie chuckled.  “What was that?”</p><p>“Twoie, are you okay?” Pearl asked.</p><p>“Twoie?” Dr. Maheswaran asked.</p><p>“Oh, it’s a nickname,” Twoie quickly covered up.  “I honestly have no idea where it came from.”  A quick glance at each of the gems had them hurrying to cover it up, as well.</p><p>“It was Steven’s idea, I believe,” Garnet spoke up.  “You two looked so much alike, and he said that you were like Steven Two.  From then on, he kept calling you Twoie.”</p><p>“It seems like so long ago,” Pearl sighed with a soft smile.  Twoie smiled back.  Of course, Pearl and Garnet were good liars.  They had to be.  Amethyst was preoccupied with the breadsticks.</p><p>“I was just wondering what you were planning to study in college,” Dr. Maheswaran asked.  Twoie took a moment to consider this.</p><p>“Well, I’ve always been interested in language,” he mused.  “And I love the idea of exploration… Maybe I could go into archeology.  I’ve also considered foreign affairs, because international politics fascinate me.”  Both were true, and both were things he had done before.  Archeology wasn’t much different from hunting down gem artifacts and exploring ancient ruins, right?  And being a space tetrarch was about as foreign as one could get.  This answer seemed to satisfy the doctor.</p><p>“Have you considered learning Latin?” she asked.  “I took a few courses in college for my foreign language requirement, and it’s helped me significantly in the medical field.”</p><p>“Oh, I’ve learned a little already, but I’m not that good,” Twoie answered.  It was a good way to pass the time in between meetings with the Diamonds and his responsibilities as the Earth Diamond.  “Mostly just some Cicero and Catullus, so far.  Nothing overly fancy.”</p><p>He really did have nothing to worry about.  He had been concerned for nothing.  The hospital was a future problem, as were several of the other things that would be coming up.  For now, all he had to do was enjoy a normal family dinner.  He had really needed this.</p><p>The future would wait.</p><p>Dinner ended when Mr. Maheswaran started feeling the signs of a migraine.  Twoie had honestly been surprised he had lasted so long with so many gems around.  Maybe it was the aftereffect of having to experience a child learning to play violin.  Twoie had heard that wasn’t a pleasant experience on the ears.  They all headed to their respective homes after the children said their goodbyes and Greg exchanged numbers with the Maheswarans.</p><p>“You were right, Twoie,” Connie had whispered when they were out of earshot.  “This was the best way to do it.”  Twoie smiled and ruffled her hair, much like Garnet did to him, and he did to Steven.</p><p>“I wish we could tell the whole truth, but the time will come, I promise.”</p><p>That night, Twoie fell asleep easily.  That’s not to say his dreams were pleasant.</p><p>‘<strong>Show’s about to start.  Don’t be late.</strong>’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks to everyone who's read this far!  I appreciate that you take the time to read my work, and I hope you all like it!<br/>My tumblr is https://friendlyfelony.tumblr.com/ if you wanna ask about the story, talk about it, or just talk in general!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Father and Son</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Steven creates an army of watermelon soldiers.  Luckily, Twoie is around to help prevent anything from happening.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm reuploading this because of some issues in the first upload.  I'm sorry it's not that long, I've had a lot going on this past week.  Next week's chapter will be longer, and probably better in general.  Anyway, I hope you like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hanging out with their dad was something that Twoie cherished.  Before he had actually met his father in this timeline, he had been hesitant.</p>
<p>Steven had been adamant that Twoie meet their dad shortly after he first showed up.  Twoie supposed that he should, since he couldn’t exactly go back to his own time.  They would meet eventually, so why not right then?</p>
<p>They had both run up to the carwash, Steven pulling Twoie along in his enthusiasm.  Twoie was uncertain.  He’d had no idea how his father would react to a future version of his son standing there.  Greg had always been kind of skittish about gem stuff.  Why would this be any different?</p>
<p>Of course, he was wrong.</p>
<p>“Dad, Dad!” Steven shouted, and Greg looked over with a smile when he heard his son’s voice.</p>
<p>“Heya, Schtu-ball!” he greeted the kid.  He glanced up at Twoie, looked back at Steven, then did a double-take.  “Whoa, who’s your… friend?”</p>
<p>“This is Twoie, and he’s me!” Steven exclaimed.  Twoie ran a hand through his hair.</p>
<p>“Uh, hello,” Twoie mumbled.  “I’m Steven.  From… um, from the future.”  Greg was quiet for a moment.</p>
<p>“How did you—”</p>
<p>“Some gem artifact sent me back in time,” Twoie cut him off, seeing how uncomfortable the human was with the situation.  After a minute, though, Greg shook it off.  Twoie was relieved he didn’t push the issue.</p>
<p>“Wow, Schtu-ball, you’ve gotten so big!” he exclaimed, looking the teen up and down.  Twoie chuckled, shrugging.  “How old are you, now?”</p>
<p>“Seventeen,” Twoie replied.  “I came back four years.”</p>
<p>“Whoa, that’s wild,” Greg commented.  “Anything cool happen in the future?  Or is this like in Forward to the Past, where you can’t tell me anything?”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Twoie replied.  “Can’t say much.  The future is kind to you, though.”  Greg smiled.</p>
<p>“Well, you wanna join Steven and me?  He was just gonna help out at the wash, today.”</p>
<p>“Sure, I’ll come help,” Twoie agreed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Today, he was glad that he had decided to meet his father before.  Greg had been a great help when meeting the Maheswarans, and now he was fun to hang out with in general.</p>
<p>Twoie was careful as he ate watermelon with his father and younger self.  He picked the seeds out meticulously with his fingers before taking a bite, not wanting to get his essence on them.  There would be enough watermelon Stevens the next day without him adding to them, and after the whole debacle with his cactus, he wasn’t sure he wanted to complicate the matter with sentient, talking plants again.</p>
<p>Steven had no such qualms, of course.  He didn’t know.  Twoie had decided that it would be best if he didn’t tell the kid what would come of the seed spitting battle.  The watermelon Stevens would be important in the battle against Malachite.  If it even happened, that is.  Twoie still wasn’t sure if he wanted to let that whole course of events go as they had.  It would be hard to change it, of course, considering he had already let Lapis fly off into Homeworld’s hands.</p>
<p>He felt terrible about it, but what could he do?</p>
<p>Steven spit one seed up in the air, letting it land on his cheek. </p>
<p>“Look, guys, I’m Amadeus!”  He pouted, the expression exaggerated and silly.  “My father, ‘e disapproves of me!”  Twoie laughed along with their dad, letting the thoughts of Homeworld and the future ebb from his mind.</p>
<p>“Well, check this out!” Greg responded, taking another bite of watermelon.  He leaned back and spit out two seeds, letting them fall to cover his eyes as he closed them.  “Ta da!  Bet’cha can’t top that!”  As Steven laughed, Twoie couldn’t help but wish he could join in.  He knew he couldn’t, and he knew why, but it didn’t stop him from wishing he could.</p>
<p>“Are you sure you don’t wanna play?” Steven asked, and Twoie nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m good,” he replied.  “I’m having fun just watching you guys.”  Steven shrugged. </p>
<p>“Well, in that case, bet I can top that, Dad!” Steven retorted, taking another bite.  He stood, took a deep breath, and spit the seed out at a can that sat on top of a nearby traffic cone.  He knocked the can right off of the cone.  All three of them stared with varying levels of surprise at his shot before Steven laughed triumphantly.  </p>
<p>“Haha!  Beat that!”  Greg smirked.</p>
<p>“Huh, that was impressive, my son,” he admitted, rubbing his chin dramatically.  “But the name of the game ain’t distance, nor accuracy.”</p>
<p>“It ain’t?”</p>
<p>“No, Steven.  This challenge is all about who can spit the <em>coolest</em>.”  Greg grabbed a slice of watermelon.  “Allow me to demonstrate.”  He took a large bite, chewed on it for a good few seconds, then stood, bent over, and spit at the ground, sending the seeds ricocheting into his hand held out in front of him.  Steven and Twoie both clapped appreciatively, Twoie already moving to help his father stand up straight.</p>
<p>“Uh… Dad?  You okay?” Steven chimed, and Twoie wrapped an arm around Greg’s chest to push him up into a standing position again.</p>
<p>“He’s just a little… bent out of shape,” Twoie joked, and Steven laughed.  Greg sat down carefully, rubbing his back.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Two-ball,” he said, and Twoie chuckled awkwardly.</p>
<p>“No prob, Dad,” he replied.</p>
<p>“Beat that, Steven,” Greg goaded, and Steven nodded resolutely.</p>
<p>“You’re asking for it!” he countered.  He grabbed two slices and quickly took several bites from each, filling his mouth with seeds.  Twoie took a step back.  He didn’t want to be covered in seeds, spit, and watermelon juice.  “You’re really asking for it!” he mumbled through a mouth full of watermelon pulp.  “Hurricane… Spin… Spit!”  He jumped and turned in circles, spitting the seeds everywhere.  Twoie summoned a bubble to protect himself from the sticky projectiles.  Within seconds, Steven slowed, then stopped, staring at the seeds he had managed to scatter everywhere.  “My Hurricane Spin Spit is unbeatable!” he cheered.  Greg opened his eyes and looked around, shocked at the range his son had gotten.</p>
<p>“By Jove, it’s full of seeds!” he exclaimed, and Twoie chuckled, releasing the shield.  There was quiet for a long moment.</p>
<p>“D-Dad?” Steven prompted, and Greg snapped out of his thoughts.</p>
<p>“Congratulations, son… you win by a mile.”  He took a ring of watermelon and began to eat away at it, rind and all.  Twoie winced at that, looking away.  Even though he ate some pretty weird stuff, watermelon rind still wasn’t something he cared to ingest.</p>
<p>Soon, though, the piece of watermelon looked like a crown, and it was reverently placed on Steven’s head.</p>
<p>“I crown thee… Your Watermelogesty.”  Steven’s eyes lit up with stars.  Greg bowed, and Twoie quickly followed suit.</p>
<p>“My liege,” Twoie addressed him, and Steven bowed back.  They all glanced at each other before dissolving into laughter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Later that evening, Twoie made his way to the interior of the car wash and grabbed a clean cloth.  He wet it and brought it outside.  Greg watched as he went about mopping the sticky juice off of Steven’s face.</p>
<p>“You’re good at that, y’know?” he remarked, and Twoie glanced over.</p>
<p>“Hm?”</p>
<p>“Taking care of him,” Greg elaborated.  “You seem to know what you’re doing.  You’re good at it.  I… I’ll admit, I’m not all that great at being a father.  It feels like… all I know is… ah, nevermind, it’s no big deal.”</p>
<p>“No, I think I know what you’re going to say,” Twoie replied, setting the cloth down.  “We… talked about this, in the future.  At least, some of it.  You told me that you kind of only know what not to do, because of… how you were raised.”  Greg paused at the mention of his home life, then sighed.</p>
<p>“Yeah, hit the nail on the head, there,” his father groaned.  “I knew from the start that I wanted Steven to have more freedom than I had, but I never really knew how to be a father while still giving him the space he needed.  I worry sometimes that I’m not there for him when I need to be.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be honest, we had a pretty big argument about that in my future,” Twoie admitted.  “I wish I’d had more structure and rules as a kid.  I wish I would have gone to school.  Hell, I wish I had a social security number and paperwork.”  Greg shrugged sheepishly.  “I wish I would have been brought to the doctor.  I wish a lot of things.  It took me seeing things from your perspective, after a lot of things had calmed down, to realize why you decided to raise me the way you did.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, buddy,” Greg mumbled.  “I don’t know what I’m doing.”</p>
<p>“I don’t really think anybody does,” Twoie admitted.  “But going from one extreme to the other doesn’t help anybody.  He <em>does</em> need structure, a bedtime, homework, all that stuff, while still having some degree of freedom.  He needs a father.”  Greg tugged at his hair, looking away.</p>
<p>“I know,” he finally said.  “I’m not exactly much of a father, am I?  I feel like I’m acting more like a friend than a father.”</p>
<p>“You are, and sometimes, that’s okay,” Twoie explained.  “But he does need rules.  He needs to grow up like a human kid, because yeah, we’re half gem, but we’re also half-human.  He’s still a child.”  Greg nodded slowly.  “The gems don’t have children.  I remember you saying that Mom told you about this.  They come out knowing who they are and what their designated purpose is.  Human children need guidance.  Steven needs guidance.”</p>
<p>“What about you?” Greg asked.  Twoie laughed wryly, the usual melodic chiptunes of his song muddled and flat.</p>
<p>“I didn’t have any of that,” Twoie told him.  “I had no structure, no rules, no guidelines.  I was struggling to be an adult in my timeline.  I wound up favoring my gem side more than my human side, and I had a lot of trouble interacting with other people.  My gem type… we don’t change easy, far less than any other gem type.  I ended up embodying that far more than I would have if I had learned how to accept change as a child.  It’s still something I struggle with.”</p>
<p>“Oh, buddy, I’m so sorry,” Greg apologized.  Twoie smiled a little and shrugged.</p>
<p>“Hey, it’s nothing therapy and communication can’t fix.”</p>
<p>“I just wish I could have done better.”</p>
<p>“It’s too late to change what you did with me,” Twoie pointed out.  “That wasn’t even <em>you</em> in the first place.  You can still do right by Steven.”</p>
<p>“I will,” Greg promised.  “I’m glad I have you to help me.”</p>
<p>“I’m happy to help,” Twoie assured him with a smile.  “Anything for Steven.”  Twoie paused for a moment.  "Hey, Dad?"</p>
<p>"Yeah?"</p>
<p>"Back when Steven first introduced us, why were you so... I don't know, calm?"  Greg sighed.</p>
<p>"I mean... gem stuff freaks me out, I'm sure you already know that," he stated.  "Still, you're my kid.  You might have come from the future thanks to gem magic, but you're still Steven, and I still love you.  What kind of a father would I be if I didn't take care of my own kid?"  Twoie smiled.</p>
<p>"Thanks, for understanding," Twoie replied.</p>
<p>"By the way, why did you come back, if you don't mind me asking?" Greg questioned.  "I never got a chance to ask you about it, before."  Twoie ran a hand through his hair.</p>
<p>"I, uh, don't wanna talk about it," Twoie admitted.  "Bad things happened.  I <em>had</em> to come back.  I'm sorry."</p>
<p>"No, buddy, it's fine," Greg assured him.  "I'm sorry I brought it up."</p>
<p>"It's fine," Twoie replied.  "It'll all be fine."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Twoie woke up, his first thought was that his back was killing him. He opened his eyes and looked around.  He wasn’t in the temple.  He realized within seconds that he was outside the carwash, sleeping on a lawn chair.  He groaned as he sat up, careful not to swing his legs over the side of the chair.  He didn’t want to step on anyone.</p>
<p>Sure enough, as he looked around, there were watermelon Stevens as far as the eye could see.  He glanced over at Steven.  He had removed his crown shortly after he had fallen asleep and done his best to get the juice out of his hair before he had gone to rest himself, but by the stiff quality of some of the sections of curls, Twoie could tell Steven would need a shower later.</p>
<p>Steven groaned softly, and his eyes squinted open.  He yawned, then sat up slowly, his eyes widening as he looked around.</p>
<p>“Holy… watermelon!”  He looked over at Twoie, who smiled tiredly.</p>
<p>“Surprise,” he deadpanned.  Steven carefully got up and pulled one of the watermelons off the ground.  Twoie bit his lip when he saw Steven holding Baby Melon.  He didn’t want the little guy to sacrifice himself again.  It had been heartbreaking when it happened the first time.</p>
<p>“Is this… it can’t be!”</p>
<p>“It’s you,” Twoie confirmed, turning to face the child.</p>
<p>“How… they’re me!” Steven exclaimed.  Twoie’s response was a melodious laugh that caught a surprised Steven off guard.</p>
<p>“They’re watermelon soldiers that took your shape,” Twoie explained.  “They—”</p>
<p>“We have to tell the gems!” Steven cut him off.  Twoie shrugged.</p>
<p>“Okay, be careful not to step on anyone,” he said, gingerly standing up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is really impressive,” Garnet hummed.</p>
<p>“I… suppose,” Pearl replied.  “Your mother had the ability to grow sentient plantlife to act as her defenders,” she explained to Steven. </p>
<p>“But Rose’s plants moved and stuff,” Amethyst commented.  “These guys don’t do… anything.”  She picked up Baby Melon, and Steven hurried to take it away from her.</p>
<p>“Amethyst, be careful,” he warned her.  “This one’s just a baby!”</p>
<p>“They do, actually,” Twoie corrected.  “Do stuff, I mean.  I’m not sure why, but it takes them a little while to start moving and stuff.  By around midday, they start interacting with people.”  He had the attention of the whole team, now.  He took a moment to collect his thoughts.</p>
<p>“Basically, Steven, what happened is that we decided to give them away, but Sadie suggested we sell them.  We found out they were alive when Baby Melon jumped out of Onion’s arms when he tried to steal it, and—Dad, don’t step on them!” he called out.  Greg stopped in his tracks, his foot poised over one.  He carefully adjusted himself and maneuvered around them.  “We had to run around town collecting them and giving people their money back.  Ronaldo tried to come after us when we tried to take his watermelon Steven back, but then they attacked him because they perceived him as a threat.”</p>
<p>“They attack people?!” Steven demanded, and Twoie shrugged.</p>
<p>“Only when they see them as a threat to your safety,” Twoie corrected him.  “Look, the safest thing to do about them now is to send them somewhere where they can’t hurt anyone.”  Steven looked downcast.  Twoie felt bad, but there were an infinite number of things that could be perceived as a threat to Steven.  He didn’t want the melons to rampage.</p>
<p>“Twoie’s right,” Garnet agreed.  “It’s best that we sent them somewhere safe.”</p>
<p>“But they won’t hurt anyone if I’m not in danger, right?” Steven tried to convince them, but Twoie shook his head.</p>
<p>“Remember what I said, Steven,” he reminded him.  “Perceived danger.  It doesn’t have to be any real danger.  It could be you crying at a sad movie, or screaming with excitement on one of the Funland coasters, and they’ll think you’re in danger.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Steven sighed.  Twoie got down on a knee and rested a hand on Steven’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“We can always go visit them,” he assured the kid.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They all watched the watermelon soldiers go with varying degrees of emotion.  While the gems weren’t that concerned, Steven was pretty upset to see them go, no matter how much Twoie consoled him.  He just hoped that the child understood the danger of having them around.  Baby Melon turned around and waved at them just before ducking into the spray of the ocean with the others.</p>
<p>Twoie ruffled Steven’s hair as they watched them go.</p>
<p>“They’re going to be just fine,” Twoie assured him.  “They start their own independent society on Mask Island.  They’re all happy there, I promise.”</p>
<p>“And we can go visit them?” Steven asked. </p>
<p>“Of course,” Twoie agreed.</p>
<p>A part of Twoie wished he could go with them.  Their lives were simple and easy, filled with farming, living off the land, and being a community.  He knew he couldn’t.  He had a purpose.  After all that time agonizing over not having a purpose in the future, he wasn’t going to abandon the one he had finally found now.  He just hoped he could fulfill it without ruining everything.  He would just take things one step at a time, just like the Watermelon Stevens.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Three's A Crowd</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Twoie does his best to help Steven when fusion comes up.  After all, fusion is something that's extremely important to the two of them, being what they are.  Is he really doing all he can be doing, though?  Is he changing too much?  He doesn't know, and he hates not knowing.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you guys like this one!  I spent hours wondering about certain things in this chapter, and I did my best with it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dancing was fun.  It was a fact that Twoie had known since he was little.  Dancing with family was even more fun than dancing alone.  In short, he was having an amazing time.</p>
<p>“Chaine up, up, down, down, calypso!” Pearl drilled, and Twoie went through the motions with all the grace of a seasoned dancer. “No, no... Your launching leg needs to be in attitude, Twoie, knee out. You had it facing down.” Steven was honestly baffled by Pearl’s critique. He thought it looked beautiful!</p>
<p>“Right, I’ve always had trouble with that,” Twoie chuckled, setting himself back in position to try again as Pearl began to count once more. </p>
<p>Twoie had asked Pearl for a refresher lesson in ballet, as there was a specific move he wanted to add to his arsenal that he felt just didn’t flow right. Of course, Pearl had been more than happy to help him. She wasn’t an easy teacher, but Twoie was clearly enjoying himself. </p>
<p>His request for a lesson had prompted a dance lesson for Steven, since the knowledge that he was capable of fusion had gotten him excited. Just as in Twoie’s case, the gems were excited to teach him. He wasn’t that good at the beginning. He sort of felt like a fish flopping around.  It was funny, at least.</p>
<p>Seeing Twoie dance gave Steven hope for his own skills. His movements were fluid, precise, but spontaneous and free. He twirled like a delicate petal in the wind, much like Pearl, jumping and swinging his leg around before rolling to the ground (‘That one was perfect! Yes, beautiful form, Twoie!’) propping one leg behind the other and pushing himself up with a flourish, rolling to his feet. His body slipped through the motions like Amethyst did, throwing in hard stops and swift gestures like Garnet. He had clearly learned well from his three mentors, but there was something else there that Steven didn’t recognize. He could only assume it was a style all his own. </p>
<p>“You don’t have to copy them,” Twoie had said while it was his turn instructing Steven on how to dance. “Take inspiration and incorporate their styles into yours, sure, but always remember, your dance is an extension of you. Listen to the music of the hard light running through your form, and dance to that. Your body knows what to do. It’s in our code. Just let it happen.”</p>
<p>Of course, Steven wasn’t going to be all that good at first. He had kind of expected that. No one’s exactly good at something on their first try. Still, he did his best and had fun with it, and it was a good afternoon. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t get it,” Steven sighed, “I thought I almost had it.”</p>
<p>“Nobody expects you to be able to perform fusion right away, Steven,” Pearl assured him, leaning on the counter as Steven wiped his face with the towel she had handed him.</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s really hard,” Amethyst added.  “Even for us.”</p>
<p>“Not for me,” Garnet quipped, and Twoie snickered, internally agreeing with her.  He went to the tap and poured two glasses of water, handing one to Steven.</p>
<p>“We’ll keep working on the dance, for now,” Pearl continued, “and who knows?  In a few years… Twoie, you said you’ve fused before, right?”</p>
<p>“Yup,” he confirmed.  “Several times.  We’re fully capable of it, though I’m not sure how it works, with the organic stuff in play.”</p>
<p>“Got any advice?” Steven asked.</p>
<p>“Fusion is about more than just dancing,” Twoie instructed, taking a long swig of water.  “It’s about the relationship you have with the person you’re fusing with, the love and respect you have for each other.  The dance is important so you can synchronize yourself with the other person, but there’s more to it than that, y’know?”</p>
<p>“Wow, you sure do know a lot about fusion,” Steven commented, and Twoie chuckled. </p>
<p>“I mean, we should—I-I should.” His song glitched as he stuttered, and he shook his head. “Fusion is important to us, uh, us gems.”</p>
<p>“Why’s that?” Steven asked. </p>
<p>“Because, well... it’s an important part of our culture,” Twoie evaded, and Steven hummed. </p>
<p>Twoie seemed to know a lot more about fusion than he let on.  Steven decided not to push it.  Twoie probably had a good reason to not tell him.  He smiled as he thought about the future, and what wonderful things must have happened that Twoie must really want to tell him about.  He hoped that someday, he would be ready to know.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Twoie had texted Sour Cream not long after their dance practice, after Steven had taken off to hang out with Connie.  He needed someone to talk to about what was to come, and he couldn’t have the gems interfering with Steven’s very first fusion.  The tall blond teen had invited Twoie over to talk.</p>
<p>Now, Twoie was pacing in Sour Cream’s upstairs room restlessly, talking as Sour Cream fiddled around with his computer.</p>
<p>“It starts off great,” Twoie described, smiling at the memory.  “Connie tells me that she’s afraid of dancing in front of other people, and I tell her that she can dance with me, and we wind up fusing.”</p>
<p>“Wait, humans can fuse, too?” Sour Cream interjected, and Twoie shrugged.</p>
<p>“Only with me, because I’m half human,” he explained.  “I still don’t get the mechanics of it.  Anyway, we fused, and we felt so… confident?  We felt good.  There were a few times where we felt lonely, but we just had to remember that we were together.  At some point tonight, you invite Stevonnie to a rave you’re having, and they’re super excited to go.  They go and dance and have fun, but not long after they show up, they feel like everyone’s watching them, because they are.  Gems are supernaturally good at dancing, so that translates to Stevonnie.  It’s a part of who they are.  Some guy, Kevin, shows up and starts acting like an asshole.”</p>
<p>“Kevin?  He always seemed kind of narcissistic, but I didn’t expect him to be that bad,” Sour Cream responded.</p>
<p>“He just comes up to us and accosts us, trying to get us to dance with him when we’re clearly not interested.  He’s coming onto me and I can’t remember any feeling but the sensation of our skin crawling, and his voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and…  I just worry about them,” Twoie said, the timbre of his gemsong wavering. “I don’t want them to feel like I felt that night.”</p>
<p>“I could just tell Kevin to not be an asshole,” Sour Cream suggested. “Not sure how well it would work, or if he’d take it well.”</p>
<p>“No, I don’t want you to have to do that,” Twoie replied. “Besides, like you said, it might not work.  I need a plan. I need some way to keep his attention off the kids, or some way to distract him when he starts making passes at them.”</p>
<p>“And you don’t want his attention on you, either,” Sour Cream guessed, and Twoie nodded. He thought about it for a minute. “You could always play the protective big brother card,” the younger teen suggested. “I know if someone was bothering Onion like that, I’d be beyond pissed.”</p>
<p>“I don’t wanna scare him <em>too</em> bad,” Twoie answered, and he fought back the satisfaction growing at the thought of scaring Kevin away from younger him. “Okay, that’s a lie. I want to scare him enough that he never bothers Steven or Connie again.  But what if I go overboard?”</p>
<p>“You won’t,” Sour Cream assured him. “You said it yourself, you’re a lot better at controlling yourself recently. Just trust yourself, and maintain that control over your temper.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, SC,” Twoie responded.  “I’ll do my best.”</p>
<p>“I’ve gotta go hand out flyers for the rave soon,” Sour Cream said.  “Wanna come?”</p>
<p>“I should probably go make sure Stevonnie is okay,” Twoie answered.  “I’ll be there at the rave, though.  We can hang out if you want.”</p>
<p>“Sure, it’ll give you something to do before you have to swoop in to save your little bro,” Sour Cream replied.  Twoie chuckled and nodded.</p>
<p>“See you later, then.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Twoie got back to the temple not long before dusk.  Good, he was right on time.  The gems were basically in the same spots they had been in when he and Steven left.</p>
<p>“Hey, guys,” Twoie greeted them, sitting down in a barstool.  “What’cha talking about?”</p>
<p>“Are you sure Steven can fuse?” Pearl immediately asked, and Twoie smiled.  “We’re just worried that he won’t be able to, and it would just crush his spirits if he can’t, and he—”</p>
<p>“Pearl,” Twoie cut in.  “I promise, you’ll understand soon.  We have nothing to worry about when it comes to Steven being able to fuse.”</p>
<p>“How can you know for sure?” Pearl demanded.  Twoie raised a brow.  “Oh, right.  You’re… hm.”  Twoie looked out the window.  The sun was steadily setting.  He saw a figure, taller than Steven, actually, running toward the beach house.  His smile grew.</p>
<p>“You’re about to see for yourself why you don’t have to worry,” Twoie hummed.  A few seconds passed.</p>
<p>“What do you—"</p>
<p>“Guys, look!” Stevonnie called out as they burst through the screen door.</p>
<p>The gems were stunned into silence.  Garnet’s hands pressed together, her mouth agape.  Pearl stood still, dumbfounded.  Amethyst stared in silent awe at the fusion.  “Pretty cool, right?”</p>
<p>“He fused?” Pearl asked, her song soft and hesitant, her hand hovering by her mouth as she pointed.  “With his friend, Connie?”  Amethyst chortled and prodded Pearl’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Pearl, look at Garnet!” she chuffed.  Pearl turned to look at the fusion, whose smile was larger than they had seen it in literal decades.</p>
<p>“Stevonnie!” Twoie chirped with a bright smile.  “Oh, I’ve missed you!  Even though… I’m not actually part of you, this is still…” his smile fell for an instant as the realization hit him.  He’d never be Stevonnie with his Connie again.  He pushed back the sudden melancholy and forced himself to smile again.  “You’re you!”</p>
<p>“Stevonnie,” they tested the name out, nodding with satisfaction.  “Stevonnie.”</p>
<p>“You knew about this?” Pearl squeaked, and Twoie shrugged.  “This is… unprecedented!”  She walked over, looking the excited fusion up and down.  “A gem fusing with a human being…?  It’s impossible!  Or at the very least, inappropriate.”</p>
<p>“It’s all in good fun, Pearl,” Twoie argued. </p>
<p>“Wow!” Amethyst giggled, her smile giddy.  “You two look great together!  How does it feel, uh, what did Twoie call you?  Stevonnie?”</p>
<p>“It feels amazing!” Stevonnie replied.</p>
<p>“Yes, well,” Pearl interrupts awkwardly.  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourselves… but you two should unfuse this instant.”</p>
<p>“Wait, what?  But Pearl, you were so worried Steven wouldn’t be able to do this.  Aren’t you proud of him?”</p>
<p>“O-of course I am,” Pearl replied.  “I… Garnet, help me out here.”  She turned to the tall fusion, and Twoie could see that Pearl had little hope of getting her on her side.  Garnet walked up to Stevonnie and rested her hands on their shoulders.</p>
<p>“Stevonnie,” she said softly, her song full of barely-contained excitement.  “Listen to me.  You are not two people, and you are not one person.  You are an experience!  Make sure you’re a good experience!  Now go have fun!”</p>
<p>They nodded and turned to rush out the door, almost tripping over their newly-long legs in their enthusiasm.  Twoie smiled after them.</p>
<p>“I’ll make sure they stay out of trouble,” Twoie reassured Pearl, who looked extremely nervous.  The discomfort in her posture seemed to fade a bit at his words, and he winked at Garnet before following the tall fusion out of the house.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After leaving the house, Twoie met up with Sour Cream not far from the patisserie, taking a stack of flyers and helping hand them out.</p>
<p>“How’s it going so far?” Sour Cream asked as they worked.</p>
<p>“Pretty well,” Twoie replied.  “They fused, and they seem to be having fun.  I just hope everything goes well, tonight.”</p>
<p>“It will,” Sour Cream assured him.  “You’ll be there.”  Twoie smiled.</p>
<p>“Thanks, man.”</p>
<p>They made their way toward the Big Donut, handing out flyers as they went.  When Twoie saw Stevonnie sitting on the bench, he paused, gently nudging his friend.</p>
<p>“There they are,” he murmured.  Sour Cream looked over, and his eyes widened.</p>
<p>“Woah, yeah, I can see the resemblance to you,” he replied.  “But there are other features I don’t recognize.”</p>
<p>“Connie, those are Connie’s features,” Twoie informed him.  He took a deep breath.  He missed his Connie.  Sour Cream put a hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“You good?”  Twoie nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah.  Just… thinking about my past.”  They headed over to the fusion, who seemed surprised to see them.</p>
<p>“Oh, hey, Sour… faced stranger,” they greeted him.  “Hi, Twoie.”</p>
<p>“It’s okay, guys, he knows,” Twoie told them, and Stevonnie sighed with relief.</p>
<p>“Thank the stars,” they mumbled.  “What’s up?”</p>
<p>“Rave tonight,” Sour Cream said, handing them a flier. </p>
<p>“Like… a dance?” Stevonnie asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, he’s DJing,” Twoie confirmed. </p>
<p>“A bunch of my friends from the internet will be there.”  Twoie’s expression clouded over for a second, but a quick shoulder nudge from Sour Cream had him smiling again.</p>
<p>“You should come,” Twoie said.  “I’ll also be there if you need me.”</p>
<p>“Yes!  I’ll definitely be there,” Stevonnie agreed.  “Yes.  Thanks!”  They stood up and walked off.  Twoie smiled.  It seemed they were getting along okay.  He remembered each time he was Stevonnie.  He missed it.  He missed Connie.</p>
<p>“You sure you’re okay?” Sour Cream asked, and Twoie sighed.</p>
<p>“I miss the Connie from my time, but we had a bad argument, and… ugh, can we talk about this later?  Tonight is supposed to be fun.”  Sour Cream nodded.</p>
<p>“Whenever you’re ready, dude.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Twoie would be the first to admit he had let himself get distracted.  Talking to Sour Cream was a lot of fun, and the music and the crowd... he just let his mind wander.  He had gotten carried away, and it wasn’t until he felt an emotional disturbance from the fusion that he realized why he had gone to the rave in the first place.</p>
<p>As soon as he felt the discomfort in Stevonnie’s mind, he started scanning the crowd.  They weren’t far from him.  He quickly made his way down from the DJ station and over to where they stood against the wall, with Kevin standing right in front of them.  They hurried away when Kevin started to dance.  Twoie hurried over to them.</p>
<p>“I don’t understand what’s wrong,” Stevonnie said to themselves.  “You have fun dancing, but this dance… isn’t fun!  You’re supposed to like this.  Why… don’t you like this?”</p>
<p>“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” Twoie assured them, making sure to stay a comfortable distance away from them unless they got closer.  “Something you enjoy might not be as fun if you’re not used to the circumstances.  It’s okay to be uncomfortable with all the attention on you.  It’s okay to not be okay.”  They turned to Twoie, took a step closer, then</p>
<p>“Hey, baby, why’d you leave me on the dance floor?” Kevin asked, boxing Stevonnie in with his arm.  Twoie seethed internally, and grabbed Kevin’s shoulder (carefully, humans were fragile, no matter how much of an asshole they acted like).</p>
<p>“I suggest you take three big steps back, you vapid asshole,” Twoie all but snarled, his eyes locked with the other teen's, glaring daggers at Kevin. The teen jumped a bit and turned to look at Twoie, freezing in place when he saw the protective rage in his eyes. “That’s my sibling you’re harassing.”</p>
<p>“Whoa, man, take it easy,” Kevin replied, backing up. Twoie hated the satisfaction he felt at the startled look in Kevin’s wide eyes. “I was just asking her to dance.”</p>
<p>“And <em>they</em> are clearly uncomfortable with your attention,” Twoie shot back, taking a step closer to Kevin. “So step off.” Without another word, Kevin turned and walked off, his movements stiff. From the glow around him, he could tell that he was starting to go pink. Twoie took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out. He turned to Stevonnie, who seemed shaken but okay. </p>
<p>“You good?” he asked, and the fusion slowly nodded. </p>
<p>“Twoie?” they asked. “Why are you... pink?” Twoie took another deep breath, feeling the power ebb into his gem once again. </p>
<p>“It happens when I get angry,” he explained briefly. “I’m sorry. Do you want to stay here, or are you ready to go home?”</p>
<p>“I... I think I’m all partied out,” Stevonnie replied softly.  A soft pink glow enveloped them, and Steven and Connie stood where once there was one person.</p>
<p>“I'm not.  Wanna dance?” Steven asked Connie, who laughed and took his hand.  Twoie let himself relax once again and danced with the kids, letting the rhythm of Sour Cream’s music compel him.</p>
<p>Later that night, when the two kids had worn themselves out, Twoie gently took their hands, leading them out from the crowd of dancing teenagers. He looked up and gave a quick nod to Sour Cream before leaving the warehouse. He would have gone up to say goodbye, but they had discussed this before. Steven and Connie were Twoie’s top priority. </p>
<p>He brought Connie home on Lion before returning to the beach house.  Steven was out cold by the time he returned.  Twoie sighed and went back to his room.  He’d have to ask to make sure Steven was okay in the morning.</p>
<p>That night, Twoie struggled to get to sleep. There was far too much on his mind. He could have handled the Kevin situation better. He should have changed it more, but how much are his changes affecting the timeline? Should he really be changing things so much?</p>
<p>When he finally drifted off into sleep, it was restless and turbulent. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Twoie sat in the back of the cab, breathing heavily. He knew he wasn’t exactly safe, not yet, and he felt something off about the driver, but Amethyst had promised he would be safe. The phantoms, beings made entirely out of white butterflies, slammed into the sides of the cab as it drove away. He trusted Amethyst, he knew she wouldn’t send him off into danger, not now. Still...</p>
<p>“Where are you taking us?” he asked, and he saw the woman look back at him through the rear-view mirror. </p>
<p>“I’ll drive,” she said, in a lilting song that he remembered from <em>somewhere</em>. “If you figure out where you want to be taken, tell me.”</p>
<p>“But you’ve made that mistake before,” Twoie pointed out, and he stared right back at the sunglasses hiding eyes he knew he would recognize. </p>
<p>“Yes...” she admitted begrudgingly. </p>
<p>“I want to get out,” he requested, the panic starting to build within him. “This isn’t happening. It’s so very obvious where we’re headed.”</p>
<p>“No,” she replied evenly. </p>
<p>“You’re wrong,” Twoie stated. “You’re all wrong... aren’t you?”</p>
<p>No response. Twoie was becoming increasingly agitated. </p>
<p>“Let me go!” he ordered. She didn’t. There was only one being who could deny a Diamond. </p>
<p>“There is something troubling you?” she questioned, as if she didn’t know. </p>
<p>“You know,” Twoie said. “You know... don’t you?”</p>
<p>“In your voice, there is desperation,” she pointed out. “Certainly, there is an exit out of your predicament.”</p>
<p>“I don’t gamble, I just escape!” Twoie snapped, burying his face in his hands, but he still felt her eyes on him. He could never escape her eyes. </p>
<p>“Hmm... rabbits also flee, but sooner or later, their fate is a wolf’s jaw,” she told him. “And the wolves have your scent—you’re covered in the shards of her best friend.”</p>
<p>“This planet is full of liars,” Twoie defended himself, but he knew he wasn’t fooling either of them. </p>
<p>“You can run, rabbit, or you can become a wolf yourself and tear down the foundations of the other packs.”</p>
<p>“This rabbit has sharp, pointy teeth,” Twoie admitted softly. </p>
<p>“This is the path of legends and pariahs,” she responded. “I have walked before with those who have tried to cast off their coding. Their reasons were many, but their paths always ended in the same place: emptiness.”</p>
<p>“Five more minutes, Mom,” he sighed, looking out the window at the pink clouds flying by as they drove down the highway. “Can’t I just lie here in bed for eternity?”</p>
<p>“I’m just a driver,” Pink informed him. “I can’t take you anywhere unless you tell me where to go.” Twoie knew what she was saying. He knew and he hated it. </p>
<p>“I... don’t... KNOW!” he snapped, but his mother remained as impassive as ever. </p>
<p>“It sounds as though you have already made a decision to me,” she retorted. “I’ve met others like you, and they have always ultimately come to the same conclusion, and that is, there is no person or group in this universe that they can pledge loyalty to. If this is the path you must take, I can take you to where the trail begins.”</p>
<p>“That is the way my blood flows,” Twoie decided. “I learned that from you.”</p>
<p>“The world is changing, my sons,” Pink said, her tone serious and firm. “Diamonds rarely do. Be your own gem. Create your own path. Your court will follow.”</p>
<p>“What if I don’t want them to?” he challenged. She reached up to remove the sunglasses, and the eyes he saw staring back at him were his own, her own, eyes that stared back at him when his powers activated. Pink irises with white diamond pupils. He resisted the urge to shudder, but he knew she knew. </p>
<p>“They’ve made their decision,” she said simply. “You have to make yours.  Come to an agreement.  You can’t remain split over this forever.”</p>
<p>When Twoie woke up, disoriented and confused, he knew one thing for certain:  he needed to have a serious talk with himself.</p>
<p>He checked his phone.  It was half past two in the morning.  He sighed.  He wouldn’t be sleeping much that night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The dream at the end is inspired by one of the ending sequences of a game I love called Vampire the Masquerade:  Bloodlines, so if anyone has played it, they'll recognize that!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Warp Stream of Broken Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Twoie sees something in the warp stream and agonizes over keeping the trust of the gems.  Is it paranoia that's making him worry, or are his concerns founded?  And how will the gems react to the introduction of Peridot?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope y'all like it!  If you have any suggestions or constructive criticism, go ahead and let me know in the comments!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There had been a lot of times in the few weeks Twoie had been in the past that he had realized just how much he missed his timeline.  He knew he couldn’t go back, nor would he want to.  He had lost far too much that could never be retrieved there.  No, he was happy where he was, but the heart wants what it can’t have, and he had been longing for his own time for a while.</p>
<p>The biggest thing that made his decision worth making was meeting his younger self.  Twoie remembered when he had been like Steven.  He was positive, strong, empathetic, loving, and held the gems together.  Most importantly, he grew so easily.  He didn’t have to push the gems away when he was having issues.  He didn’t have the knowledge of their mother’s true identity hovering over his head yet.</p>
<p>Twoie had always wanted a sibling, and now, he had one.  He envied people who had siblings, when he saw them in shows or in town.  He wanted a relationship like Sour Cream and Onion had, or like Kiki and Jenny.  He wanted someone who he could relate to, someone who lived with him and shared his burden.  Of course, now that he had Steven, he wanted to protect him from all of the bad things he had experienced, but there was still some level of sharing that he could indulge in.</p>
<p>That’s why in the times between major events and missions, Twoie spent as much time with his (sort of) little brother as he could.  Steven certainly didn’t seem to mind his attention, anyway.</p>
<p>“Uh oh, sisters,” Twoie said, leaning on Steven and letting the child hold up his dead weight. “The Twoie Spire is falling and nothing can stop its momentum!”</p>
<p>“No! Twoie!” Steven exclaimed, trying to keep Twoie up and failing terribly. The two Stevens fell into a heap on the ground, Steven wiggling to try to escape and Twoie laughing. </p>
<p>“Ha! I have captured you, and there is nary a thing you can do about it!”</p>
<p>“Be careful, Twoie,” Pearl warned from the kitchen. “He’s still younger than you. No roughhousing in the house.”</p>
<p>“Aw, fine,” Twoie grumbled, rolling off of his little brother.  Steven’s smile grew, and as soon as Twoie had turned his attention to the pale gem, he leapt up onto his shoulders, tackling Twoie to the ground.</p>
<p>“Vengeance is mine!” he exclaimed.  Pearl sighed and shook her head, but she was smiling.  Twoie was often so quiet and reserved, and she worried about him.  She worried about Steven, too, and if he was getting enough attention from them.  Twoie helped alleviate some of her fears.</p>
<p>“Alright, boys, settle down.  We have a mission in fifteen minutes,” she informed them, and the boys stopped their wrestling to listen.  “If I were you, I’d use that time to get ready, instead of wrestling like a couple quartzes.”</p>
<p>“We are a couple quartzes,” Steven laughed, and Pearl coughed into her hand.</p>
<p>“That doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for a mission,” she replied evenly.  “Go on, I know you’ll want to prepare some snacks to take with you.”</p>
<p>“Take some allergy medicine before we leave,” Twoie recommended.  “Spring is coming into full swing in Norway, and you’re going to need it.”</p>
<p>Steven trudged off to the bathroom to get the medication, and Twoie made his way to the kitchen to grab some quick snacks.</p>
<p>“Thank you for looking out for him,” Pearl said softly when the bathroom door was shut.  Twoie smiled.</p>
<p>“It’s my pleasure,” he replied.  “I want him to have as normal a childhood as possible.”</p>
<p>“I… I’m sorry if we couldn’t—”</p>
<p>“Mission time, mission time!” Steven sang, shaking the bottle in his hands.  Twoie shook his head.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” he said quietly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can't believe that went so well!” Pearl enthused, pushing her way out of the tall grass.  Amethyst nudged her side.</p>
<p>“That was kinda great when you hit it with your spear and it went, like, bing-bong!” Amethyst replied, gesturing with her hands and making an explosion noise.  Pearl blushed a pale blue, smiling.</p>
<p>“And the way you were circling around it?” she returned.  “Almost looked like strategy.”  It was Amethyst’s turn to blush as she laughed the praise off.</p>
<p>“Well, you know, I can do that stuff, too,” she answered.</p>
<p>“And Steven, when you summoned your shield, I was so proud of you!” Pearl continued, and Steven beamed.  Twoie adjusted his hold on the child in his arms as he squirmed.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Pearl,” he responded.  “I think you were right, Twoie.  I’m glad you made me take that medicine before we left.”</p>
<p>“I remember being miserable because of my allergies when we came for this mission in my time,” Twoie answered.  “I wanted you to be able to have a better time than I did.”</p>
<p>Garnet tapped the top of the bubble she had formed, sending the gem off to her room.</p>
<p>They all stood on the warp, and Pearl activated it, sending them off.  Twoie held Steven tight on instinct.  He recalled something happening with the warps after this mission, but he didn’t remember what it was.</p>
<p>He faintly heard the sound of a warp activating in the distance.  He was pretty sure he was just hearing things until he remembered what happened last time.  He quickly handed Steven to Pearl and stuck his head out of the warp stream.  He ignored the arms on his back and looked around frantically, searching, and there it was.  Another warp stream had activated, and it was headed straight for the galaxy warp.  The round shape of a flask robonoid shot through the stream.</p>
<p>Finally, he let himself be pulled back in.  </p>
<p>“Twoie, careful,” Pearl chastised him.  “It’s dangerous to stick your head outside the stream.”</p>
<p>“There's not much air, and it's very cold,” Garnet agreed.</p>
<p>“I know, I know, but it was important,” Twoie argued.  “I saw something out there.”  The team was silent.</p>
<p>“You… what?”</p>
<p>“Something was warping,” he explained briefly.  “Gah, I can’t believe I forgot about this!”</p>
<p>“You mean there really is something out there?” Amethyst questioned.</p>
<p>“Definitely,” Twoie confirmed.  The warp stream faded, and Twoie paced off of the warp pad and into the living room, turning and pacing back again over and over.  “They’re out there.  I know they are.”</p>
<p>“What did you see, and what do you know about it?” Garnet asked, stepping off of the pad.</p>
<p>“Flask robonoids,” Twoie explained. “They’re Homeworld droids that were sent to Earth to repair the warp pad on the Galaxy Warp leading to Homeworld.” The gems all looked amongst each other, shocked. </p>
<p>“Homeworld droids?  But why would they be coming back, now?” Pearl asked, and Twoie winced at the shrill frequency of her song. </p>
<p>“I can’t say,” he answered sheepishly, looking over at Garnet. “If I told you, certain events might not happen that need to happen for certain other events to happen, and everything would just crumble into the unknown and I don’t—“</p>
<p>“Twoie, it’s okay,” Garnet intoned soothingly. “We understand. You can tell us when you’re ready. We trust you.”</p>
<p>“But you’re really not going to like what has to happen,” Twoie argued, running a hand through his hair anxiously.  “I can’t tell you, and you’re going to think I’m evil for letting it happen, and then you’ll come after me, and I can’t just—”</p>
<p>“Twoie,” Pearl cut him off, her voice soft and even.  “I, er, we know without a doubt who you are, okay?  We trust you to make the right decision.”  Twoie took a couple deep breaths.  He just didn’t want this to end up like in the stories he had read about time travel in his time.  He was terrified.  He knew Peridot was essential, as was Jasper, but he didn’t want to squander the trust the gems had in him.</p>
<p>“Please, believe that whatever happens is absolutely necessary,” Twoie said.  “I’m going to change as little as at all possible here.  What happens next is, hopefully, going to be the same as what happened in my time.”</p>
<p>“So what do we do?” Garnet asked.  Twoie took a deep breath.</p>
<p>“We wait.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Despite Twoie’s assurances that everything would be okay, Steven was too anxious to sleep.  He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what could happen and what had happened in Twoie’s timeline.  What did it mean that Homeworld droids were coming to Earth?  How were they going to respond to what Steven was pretty sure was a serious threat?  He trusted Twoie, but he still worried.</p>
<p>He shrieked when he saw a bright light and heard a sound.  He turned over and stared.</p>
<p>“Amethyst,” he whined, seeing her standing in front of the open refrigerator.  She tore open a bag of powdered cheese and dumped it into her mouth before turning to look at Steven.</p>
<p>“Hey, Steven,” she greeted him.  “Want some macaroni cheese?”  Steven just sighed as she shut the fridge.  She made her way to the temple door, and Steven sat up.</p>
<p>“W-wait!” he called out, and Amethyst stopped and turned around.  “I can’t sleep.”</p>
<p>“Is this about the thing that Twoie saw?” she asked, and Steven nodded.  “He told us that all we can do is wait.  He wouldn’t leave you unguarded if he thought you were in any danger, right?”</p>
<p>Steven considered it.  Now that he thought about it, any time Twoie had known Steven would be in any sort of trouble, he had been sure to be there.  Still, he was scared to be alone.</p>
<p>“I guess you’re right, but I’m still scared.”</p>
<p>“Want me to get him for you?” she asked, and Steven shook his head.  He stopped, considered it, and then nodded slowly.  Amethyst smiled.  “Alright, give me a minute.”</p>
<p>Exactly three minutes and twelve seconds later, Twoie emerged from their room in the temple.</p>
<p>“Steven, what’s up?” he asked, and Steven immediately felt bad.  He knew that Twoie had trouble sleeping, but he had still bothered him.  As if sensing his discomfort, Twoie jumped from the living room into the loft, shocking Steven with the casual show of skill.</p>
<p>“I, uh… can’t sleep,” Steven managed, and Twoie nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I couldn’t either, in my time,” he agreed.  “It sucked, because no one believed me when I told them what I saw.”  Steven scooted over, and Twoie sat beside him on the bed.  “I had gotten the sniffles real bad when we went in my timeline, because I didn’t think to take anything before we left.  When I sneezed in the warp stream, I floated away and my head wound up being stuck outside the stream.”  He sighed at the memory.</p>
<p>“Then what happened?” Steven asked.</p>
<p>“I saw one flask robonoid, but I didn’t know what it was,” Twoie continued.  “For all I knew, it could have been some kind of monster.  The gems brushed it off as me seeing things, because they were so sure nothing else on Earth could use the warps.  I think they just wanted to believe that Earth was still invisible to Homeworld.”</p>
<p>“Why are they so afraid of Homeworld?” Steven asked, and Twoie took a moment to figure out how to put it.</p>
<p>“Homeworld doesn’t like the gems on Earth,” Twoie said.  “They actually don’t know there are any left.  Earth used to be a colony of Homeworld, it was their territory.  They wanted to use the Earth to make more gems, but the process damaged the land.  That’s why Mom rebelled against them, because she didn’t want the Earth to be hurt by Homeworld.  The Crystal Gems we have today are the only ones who managed to survive the final attack from Homeworld on the rebellion.  Amethyst came out later on, actually, but that’s her story to tell.  Homeworld is coming back to look at things, and it’s important that the next few things happen exactly the way they happen in my time, so that we can fix what they hurt.”  Steven nodded.</p>
<p>“What happens with the robots?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Well, you have to promise you won’t tell anyone about this, and that you’ll be extremely careful when this all happens, if you want me to tell you,” Twoie bargained.  Steven nodded resolutely.</p>
<p>“I won’t say anything, and I’ll do whatever you say,” he confirmed.  Twoie smiled a little.</p>
<p>“Okay.  So, a Homeworld gem is sending the robonoids to try to repair the Galaxy Warp,” Twoie told him.  “That’s the warp area where we put the Crying Breakfast Friends stickers to show which warps were inert, or, uh, not working.”  Steven remembered that.  “The warp pad will be repaired by the robonoids, and the Homeworld gem will come through.  She looks around, sees our sticker, and retreats, and then Garnet smashes the Homeworld warp pad.”</p>
<p>“Why does she need to come here and find my sticker, though?” Steven asked, and Twoie sighed.</p>
<p>“It’s because we need her to know that there’s still life on Earth,” he elaborated.  “It sets off a chain of events that needs to happen.  I can’t say much more, except that she isn’t a real threat.”</p>
<p>“You promise the droids aren’t gonna hurt me?” Steven asked, and Twoie ruffled his hair.</p>
<p>“As if I’d let them hurt you,” he chuckled.  “Nah, they’re harmless.  All they can do is shoot their repair goop.  You’re completely safe.”</p>
<p>“Okay.”  That honestly did help.  Knowing what was to come did a lot to set Steven’s mind at ease.  “Thanks, Twoie.”</p>
<p>“No problem, little dude,” Twoie replied.</p>
<p>Steven didn’t remember Twoie leaving, but when he woke up the next morning, the older him was gone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The entire next day went as normal.  Pearl woke him up with a fresh batch of cookies, Twoie let him watch an hour and a half of television before insisting he do something else, he read for a few hours.  Overall, it was a decent day.  It wasn’t until the night that things started getting weird.</p>
<p>For one, Twoie didn’t make him go to bed at nine thirty like he usually did.  Instead, the teen sat up on the sofa, staring at the roof.  Steven sat beside him.</p>
<p>“What’s going on?” he asked, and Twoie gestured to the roof.</p>
<p>“A robonoid is going to come crashing through the ceiling,” Twoie said.  “We have to follow it afterward.”  Steven nodded and sat quietly, looking at the spot.  He kicked his legs, getting bored pretty quickly.  Twoie smiled a little.</p>
<p>“How do you just sit like that without getting bored?” Steven asked.</p>
<p>“Hyperfixation,” Twoie replied with a shrug.  “You can read a book if you want, I don’t know how long it’s going to be before it comes through.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was about an hour and a half before Twoie heard the whistling sound of something flying fast.  He stared and stared, and finally, the mint orb crashed through the ceiling and embedded itself into the wood floor.</p>
<p>“There it is,” he sighed.  He stood and hurried to the temple door, knocking on it.  “Guys, it’s here!”  They emerged from the door just as he jumped onto the warp.  It activated the instant he stepped on it.  He only hoped they followed him in.</p>
<p>He reached out and grabbed it, holding it tight as it moved up through the warp stream.  Several more joined him as they traveled, just as they had in his time.  Now, though, he was stable enough to prevent them from forcing him out of the stream.  He carefully pushed them back away from him as they crowded in on him.</p>
<p>Soon, he was at the galaxy warp.  He released the robonoid, which he noticed wasn’t damaged this time around.  Seconds after he arrived, the other gems appeared on the warp pad, Garnet holding Steven securely in her arms.  He gestured for them to join him where he had ducked behind a fallen pillar.  He watched the robonoids cluster around the Homeworld warp, all spraying blue goop onto the broken apparatus.</p>
<p>“Whoa, far out…” Amethyst muttered.  Steven nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>“What are they doing to the Homeworld warp?” Pearl asked, and Twoie tensed.  He said nothing.</p>
<p>“There’s a million of ‘em,” Amethyst commented, awed by the presence of so many of the robonoids.  They all waddled off of the warp pad, and with a bright flash of light, it was whole again.</p>
<p>The gems stared on in shock.  Twoie watched them silently, waiting for their reactions to not only the situation, but to him.  </p>
<p>“They fixed it?” Amethyst asked, and Twoie nodded.</p>
<p>“I…” Pearl couldn’t seem to get whatever words she wanted to say out, and Twoie immediately felt ten times worse.  He had put them all in this situation.  He was the reason she was so distressed.</p>
<p>The telltale ringing sound of the warp pad activating sang across the Galaxy Warp, and Garnet pulled Pearl and Amethyst back down behind the pillar again.  Twoie couldn’t read her expression.  He watched and waited as the warp stream appeared, and finally dissipated.  On the pad stood Peridot, so much different from what he recalled.  The last time he had seen her in his time, she was hugging him, crying.  Now, though, her expression was cold and unfeeling.</p>
<p>She looked around, then stamped on the warp pad a couple times, humming.</p>
<p>“Who is that?” Pearl whispered.</p>
<p>“No idea,” Garnet answered just as softly.</p>
<p>“Peridot,” Twoie replied, feeling tears build in his eyes.</p>
<p>Her fingers separated from the side of her arm enhancer and formed a square, a screen appearing in the gap.  Her fifth robotic touch stump tapped at the screen.</p>
<p>“Log date, 3 1 2,” she said, glancing over at the robonoid that climbed up onto her shoulder.  “This is Peridot, performing Earth hub maintenance check.  Warp repair a success. All 79 Flask Robonoids deployed and accounted for. Preparing to locate and manually reactivate Kindergarten.”</p>
<p>“The Kindergarten?” Amethyst asked under her breath, only to be shushed by Garnet.  The flask robonoids swarmed around her.  Steven hummed softly.</p>
<p>“Aw, the little ones are like her babies,” he noted.  Twoie shook her head.</p>
<p>“She destroyed one in my time because it was damaged,” he told Steven, who frowned at the information.</p>
<p>“Now to access the domestic warp,” Peridot continued, her song a smooth wave of chiptunes.  It was so unlike the somewhat erratic song that Twoie had come to love.  This was so controlled, so tense.  He couldn’t help but feel bad for this Peridot.</p>
<p>She walked down off the warp pad, then turned around quickly.</p>
<p>“Huh…” she bent down and removed the crying waffle sticker from the warp pad.  “This site may have been compromised,” she noted, straightening up and making her way back to the warp.  She set a blinking machine on the warp pad and warped away quickly, leaving the device behind.</p>
<p>When it detonates, the flask robonoids all deactivate, falling limp on the stone.</p>
<p>“They’re coming back,” Pearl mutters, covering her face.  “I can’t do this… not again…”</p>
<p>“We’re dead!” Amethyst exclaims hysterically.  “We are so dead!”</p>
<p>“Garnet?” Steven asked.  Garnet’s face was scarily blank.  She turned to look at Twoie.</p>
<p>“I’m destroying it,” she stated, and Twoie nodded.  She leapt over to it, summoned her gauntlets, and shattered the warp.  Twoie winced at the force she used to destroy it.</p>
<p>She silently returned to the warp pad and waited for everyone else to board it before warping back to the temple.</p>
<p>When the light finally died down, she stared at Twoie for a good minute.</p>
<p>“You’re sure that had to happen?” she asked, and Twoie nodded.</p>
<p>“That’s exactly what she did in my time, and it needed to happen,” he confirmed.  Garnet took a deep breath and nodded.</p>
<p>“Okay,” she sighed.  “<em>Okay</em>.  She’s not a threat.”</p>
<p>“She’s not a threat,” Twoie assured her.  “We needed her to come here.  We need her.”</p>
<p>“She becomes an ally?” Garnet guessed, and Twoie nodded.</p>
<p>“Eventually, yes,” he agreed.  Garnet nodded once more, then turned on her heel and walked into her room.  Twoie sighed.  He knew how hard it was for Garnet to give up control of a situation.  He hoped she didn’t fault him too much for this.</p>
<p>“Pearl, it’s going to be okay,” he said softly to the gem, who was still standing stock-still on the warp pad.  “I promise, Homeworld isn’t going to get the Earth.”</p>
<p>“I believe you,” Pearl answered.</p>
<p>Twoie hoped she did.  There was a lot more that had to happen for things to go the way they were meant to go, after all.</p>
<p>He just wanted things to go right.</p>
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